Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Vice President Mike Pence were both at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City on Friday in remembrance of the lives lost 19 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001.
And though the campaign trail has been marked by personal attacks from both the Biden and Trump campaigns, the men were somber as they exchanged cordial greetings — a bump of elbows at the site.
In a clip, Biden is seen setting his hand on Pence’s shoulder and introducing his wife, Jill Biden to Mike and Karen Pence before the couples part ways.
https://twitter.com/EmmaKinery/status/1304400550713266177?s=20
https://twitter.com/EmmaKinery/status/1304401965926043648
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) September 11, 2020
While he has been intensely critical of Trump, Biden has said that Pence is a “decent guy.”
Pence, like Trump, has sought to paint Biden as a tool of the radical left. During his speech at the Republican National Convention in August, Pence said that Biden “would be nothing more than a Trojan horse for the radical left.”
Biden, who spent the past half-century in public life, is known for having good relationships across the aisle.
Before he traveled to New York City, Biden told the press, “I’m not going to be making any news today. I’m not going to talk about anything other than 9/11.”
He continued, “We took all our advertising down. It’s a solemn day, that’s how we’re going to keep it… We took all our advertising down, we’ll get back to the campaign tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s first tweet on the 19th anniversary was one celebrating JP Morgan Chase for ordering their employees to go back to the office.
Joe Biden tells press ahead of trip to NYC & PA for 9/11 memorial that this is a “solemn day” and the Biden campaign took down their ads for the day. Says he will resume campaigning tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/anwQy8djQw
— Bo Erickson Reuters (@BoKnowsNews) September 11, 2020
The anniversary of September 11 has marked a moment of solidarity during the presidential race. Biden’s campaign announced that they would pull television ads on the 19th anniversary of the attack.
In 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both paused their television ads on the anniversary.
In 2008, Barack Obama and Republican nominee John McCain set politics aside for the day when they both appeared at Ground Zero and exchanged a moment of pleasantries.