Watch live: Bush gives remarks to commemorate 25th anniversary of 9/11

A quarter-century after the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil, the commemoration of 9/11 remains one of the few moments in public life where partisan lines tend to fade. George W. Bush’s expected remarks carry a unique weight: he was the president who stood before the nation at Ground Zero, who addressed Congress days after the attacks, and who ultimately made the case for a sweeping reordering of national security infrastructure. His presence on this anniversary is less about revisiting one presidency and more about marking a generational transition—many voters today were born after 2001. Bush’s creation of the Department of Homeland Security is a useful lens for examining the post-9/11 consensus. At the time, the move drew broad bipartisan support, reflecting a shared conviction that the government needed to adapt to an elusive and diffuse enemy. Yet the department’s formation also accelerated a long-running debate over the balance between security and civil liberties, a debate that continues to shape policy and political rhetoric today. The anniversary therefore invites not just remembrance, but also a measured assessment of what changed—and at what cost. The fact that the commemoration features Bush alongside a former Cabinet secretary underscores a quieter theme: the institutional memory of that day is now held by a shrinking number of officials who experienced it from inside the government. For younger generations, 9/11 is history, not memory. That makes events like this less about reliving a trauma and more about passing along a set of questions—about vigilance, resilience, unity, and the proper role of state power—that do not have easy or singular answers. Poli Split readers can find the full report from The Hill here: https://thehill.com/video-clips/6079480-watch-live-george-w-bush-911-comments/. As with any political commemoration, it is worth watching not only for what is said, but for what remains unsaid—and for how both parties choose to shape the memory of a day that once, at least briefly, transcended partisanship.