September 11, 2026 • 32 mins
On the 25th anniversary of September 11th, Sean reflects on the worst terrorist attack on American soil and the extraordinary courage that followed. He remembers the firefighters, police officers, first responders, and ordinary citizens who ran toward danger while warning that the evil confronted that day has not disappeared. Sean connects the lessons of 9/11 to today’s threats from terrorism, Iran, border security, and what he sees as a consequential fight over America’s role in defending freedom and Western civilization.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This just into our newsroom, a plane has crashed into
the World Trade Center.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Another plane.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Apparently that was another plane.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
An airplane has crashed into the World Trade Center.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
There appears to be a gaping hole.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Gone away.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Oh, there it goes, there it goes, there it goes,
there it goes.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
The whole side has collapsed.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
The whole building has collapsed.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Hour two has had a major explosion.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
And a complete collapse.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
We're able to.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Collapse in one of the hours.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
We're not going to be cowered by it, that we're
not afraid. Faithful friends.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
The freedom-loving nations of the world stand by our side.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Shimmering stars. Proud to have the red, white, and blue.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Westward wind.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
This country will not relent.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Shown the way.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Proud to be a part of this country.
Speaker 5 (01:13):
Carry me.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
I think about the families, the children.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Freedom itself was attacked and freedom will be defended. I
can hear you. The rest of the world hears you.
(01:45):
The resolve of our great nation is being tested.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
We will not forget the 2,800 people.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Fire not only were heroes at the beginning but they're
still heroes we're going.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
To come out of this.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Emotionally stronger and.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
The commitment of our fathers is now the calling of.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Our time those guys did more than anyone ever expected of.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Them they messed with the wrong city they messed with
the wrong state.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
And I just don't want people to forget.
Speaker 5 (02:43):
They all had a sense of duty to protect us all.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
We will be steadfast in our determination. The rest of
the country now understand who the true defenders are. May
the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers
bless you.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the
blessings of St. Patrick behold you.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
God bless Ireland and God bless the United States of America.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Now America is embracing a new ethic and a new creed.
Let's roll.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
The phrase New York's finest and New York's bravest means
something now, doesn't it?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
This is a time to reflect and be thankful for
where we are today.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
We will rebuild New York City.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yet after America was attacked, it was as if our
entire country looked into a mirror and saw our better selves.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
That, of course, Michael W. Smith, there she stands. And today,
25 years ago, the worst attack on U.S. soil in
American history. I was in New York at the time,
and it's kind of hard to wrap my mind around
(04:27):
the fact that it was 25 years ago. And It's
I watching the coverage today has brought a level of
sobriety to my thinking that I really can't. I don't
know if I can express it and articulate it the
way that I really want to, because it's on that
(04:52):
day we saw the worst in humanity. You know, there's
a line in that song that you just heard of
Michael W. that, you know, when evil calls itself a martyr,
and remember the people flying those airplanes recorded saying Allahu
Akbar as they plowed into the towers with the knowledge
(05:14):
that they're killing untold numbers of Americans because that's what
their goal was, that's what their plan was. And I
can't help but, look at where we are today as
a country, and there are many of you I know
took the time and watched a lot of the coverage,
and we'll have coverage tonight, and we're doing it through
the radio program throughout today. And just a reminder, but
(05:38):
there really are two groups of people that existed then
and exist today, and while some things have changed, many
things have remained the same. And it's the part that
remains the same that is inexplicable to me. And we
(06:00):
saw the worst in humanity that day. We saw evil
on display. And it's an evil that exists. I mean,
there are people in this country that are mad that
President Trump decided that the evil regime of Iran, and
they are evil. When you chant death to America, death
(06:20):
to Israel, and you go about funding and being the
number one funder and sponsor of terrorism statewide, that's evil.
You're killing innocent people in the name of some sick
ideology that you believe in, or you're teaching young people
that if they kill innocent men, women, and children, that God,
(06:42):
Allah in this case, will reward them with 72 virgins
in paradise, that still exists today. And I know it's
hard for good people to wrap their minds around the
fact that evil does exist, but it does. And it
exists today. And the pre 9-11, we talked about pre
(07:02):
9-11 mindset and a post 9-11 mindset. You know, we
saw the worst in humanity and we saw the best
in humanity that day and ever since. Like Frank Siller
will join us later in the program. Others, you know,
that that are intimately involved. He lost his brother that day.
(07:22):
His brother finished his shift. He was a firefighter in
New York, one of 343 that died that day. We
lost 2,977 Americans that day. We lost many others from
9-11-related illnesses. We had no idea it was like a
toxic burn pit right there at ground zero, and they
didn't have the proper equipment, and people are dying to
(07:44):
this day. And more people have died from that than
actually died on 9-11 the day itself. And there's still
this evil that has not been eradicated. And then there
are people that somehow, some way, some bizarre way of thinking,
(08:05):
you know, when October 7, 2023 happened, 1,200 Israelis were
murdered in cold blood. And many more were kidnapped and
tortured and raped and many beheaded. You know, then all
of a sudden, what was the response of some and many,
you know, around the world, in the halls of Congress,
(08:27):
on college campuses, on airwaves? You know, they're blaming Israel
for defending itself. Well, they have a small population. That's
like the equivalent of killing 40,000 Americans in a day.
Here it is 25 years later. We're talking about 2,977 Americans.
And I think that the stakes are high. And in
(08:49):
light of, you know, I'm looking at an election before us,
and I truly, honestly believe that when I listen to
the radicals that have now taken over the Democratic Party,
and they nominate somebody like Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, without
(09:10):
going through his history of extremism and radicalism, I mean,
there's plenty that I can tell you about him even today,
you know, and, you know, James Tallarico visiting a mosque
after 9-11 to show solidarity with Muslims. No, not every
Muslim is a radical extremist. There is a distinction. You know,
(09:32):
a 9-11 hero's father sounded the alarm over Abdul Syed,
David Beamer. is a member of Flight 93 that went
down on a field in Pennsylvania, and he came up
with the line, let's roll, called on Michigan to vote
American this time, warning that he believes Democratic socialists pose
(09:53):
an existential threat to the nation. And I think of,
you know, the 250... DSA candidates on the ballot in
53 days. Hannity, why are you talking about this? Why
are you connecting it to 9-11? They want to defund
the Department of War. That's why. Because they don't understand
(10:13):
the nature of the threat that we are currently facing.
Or the strongest critics of Donald Trump when he neutralized
the potential of radical mullahs in Iran getting nuclear weapons
and the threat that that would pose to the entire world.
And he's got nothing but criticism for it. You know,
(10:37):
or I look at, you know, the DSAs, you know,
this is now a fight, this election for Western civilization itself.
But without America, let me tell you, you see the
decline all over Western Europe. We've talked about that exhaustively.
They have neglected their defenses, both collectively as a continent
(10:59):
and individually as nations. They've embraced radical climate alarmism and
radical socialism. They've had unfettered, illegal immigration without assimilation. Never
thought I'd see 100 Sharia courts in Great Britain, but
there they stand. Or You know, no-go zones in other
(11:21):
parts of Europe, like France, that's all there. And I
think of, you know, America, the beacon of hope, the
shining city on the hill, and a stated, printed policy,
250 elected DSA members in 40 different states and 40-plus
more on the ballot in 53 days. And these people
(11:42):
want to eliminate the U.S. Senate, prevent you from choosing
your president. They want to pack the courts. And you
want to talk about a national security nightmare under Biden, Harris, Mayorkas,
if that was not the most preventable national security disaster
in our history? You know, you had over 12 million
that we know about. We don't know how many gotaways
(12:04):
also got across the border. We do know they we've
identified people from over 200 countries. Many of the countries
have terror ties. And this new radical group of Democrats
that now owns the Democratic Party wants amnesty for illegals
and to abolish borders. And they want to lash out
(12:24):
and abolish ICE. And they want to end all deportation.
And I repeat, want to defund the Department of War,
formerly known as the Department of Defense. And in terms
of law and order and safety and security, Well, they'd
like to abolish the police, abolish prisons, eliminate cash bail.
And on top of that, their economic philosophy and ideology
(12:49):
is one of public ownership of corporations. And, you know,
they want to you want they want you to empower
them to take other people's money. That's called, you know,
a wealth tax. Well, the people that moved out of
New York and California and New Jersey and Illinois will
just move out of the country if they start confiscating
(13:11):
their money, which some talk about. And then, of course,
they want you to believe that the people that spend
more money on education per capita per child in the
industrialized world with the worst results, that they can provide
you free childhood daycare, you know, babysitters for date night
(13:32):
for couples, guaranteed government jobs and guaranteed government salaries and
guaranteed government healthy food and guaranteed government retirement and guaranteed
government health care. And they can't even run the post
office right. But that's where this this is it. So
it's you know, that's why I keep saying it doesn't
(13:54):
matter if you're in Michigan and you'd vote for El-Sayed
or in Texas and six gender Telerico, or the guy
with the vile temper, Graham Platner, 2.0, Troy Jackson in Maine,
any Congressman that has a Democrat next to their name
or any, you know, Senator Senate candidate that, that has
a D next to their name, they're going to give
(14:17):
into these radicals. And that is an existential threat. They
will shred our con what I just described to you
that they have in writing, which shred our constitution and,
destroy our country and our way of life. And we'd
have no way to defend ourselves and our country as
we know it ceases to exist. That's on the ballot
(14:40):
in 53 days.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
America will never forget. This is the Sean Hannity Show.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
You know, you can't talk about 9-11 25 years ago
and not recognize the heroism on display that day. 343
firefighters died. 23 police officers died. Many other emergency responders died. And,
you know, where they all knew when they were going
in that building and they were going up and everyone
(15:50):
else was racing down that they were putting their lives
in jeopardy. You can hear it in the phone calls,
the final calls that they made to loved ones and
voicemails that they left. And, you know, that is the
best of humanity. You know, when people were digging through
the rubble at 9-11, where this took place, and all
(16:12):
of the restaurants that gave free food to the first
responders was beyond inspiring.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
So many people chipped in. The one thing you can
(16:49):
always count on. Sean Hannity is back on the radio.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
I-25 till the top of the hour, this 25th anniversary
of 9-11-01. By the way, just to be clear and
to clarify, we lost 2,977 Americans that day, 343 firefighters
we lost that day, 23 police officers did die that day,
and 37 Port Authority police officers died as well. And
they've They often worked in the area in and around
(17:26):
where the World Trade Center once existed. And it is
it's really remarkable when you think about all that has
taken place since then and where we are today. You know,
and we have it's mind numbing to know we have
candidates that, you know, made comments about 9-11 that are
(17:47):
so morally bankrupt and corrupt with and they have a
chance to win. which is, you know, spectacularly, you know,
ignorant to me.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Americans do not yet have the distance of history, but
our responsibility to history is already clear to answer these
attacks and rid the world of evil.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I hear people We don't need this war.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
We protest this war, and it's not a war, actually,
it's a slaughter.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
But I say there's some things worth fighting for.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
We are very grateful and thankful that we live in
a country where there's freedom of speech, that people who
are either for or against a war.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Can speak out.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
What about our freedom? Everything just went black. And this
piece of ground?
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Everything came down.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
We didn't get to keep them. My back and down.
Glass stopped popping and people got hurt. They say we
don't realize the mess we're getting in.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Oh, there it goes.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
There it goes.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
There it goes. Before you start your preaching, let me
ask you this, my friend. Have you forgotten? Oh, my God. Oh,
the next building just blew up.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Another plane just flew in. I feel the heat. The
explosion is incredible.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Have you forgotten?
Speaker 3 (19:15):
I saw this plane come out of nowhere and just
beam right into the side of the Twin Tower, exploding
through the other side.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
There's been an act of war declared upon America by terrorists.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you.
And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear
all of us soon.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Ah!
Speaker 3 (19:43):
I'm going to die.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
I'm going to die.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Say your prayers.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
I'm gonna die.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
It's so hot. I'm burning up. Have you forgotten?
Speaker 4 (20:00):
There are dozens of residents that are sitting on the
hill behind the Pentagon, almost like they're waiting for the
4th of July fireworks, but instead they're staring dumbfounded at
what looks like a war zone. I mean, you see
bodies flying out of the sky and you can't do
nothing about it.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
You tell me. There's no words to describe what's going
on out there. Have you forgotten?
Speaker 1 (20:21):
America is a nation full of good fortune with so
much to be grateful for, but we are not spared
from suffering. In every generation, the world has produced enemies
of human freedom. They have attacked America. Because we are
freedom's home and defender.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Have you forgotten?
Speaker 1 (20:38):
And the commitment of our fathers is now the calling
of our time.
Speaker 4 (20:42):
USA! USA!
Speaker 3 (20:43):
USA! Well, those words ring true today. It's the calling
of our time. And the enemies, there are enemies of
human freedom. And we see them all over the place.
And it exists and manifests itself in many forms. And
(21:06):
it's relevant in this sense to where we are as
a country. We certainly learned lessons from post 9-11 in
terms of conflicts and battles and war and you know,
in fairness, 25 years ago, we didn't have the military
technology that we have today and the ability to, you know,
(21:28):
strike with pinpoint accuracy distances that are much further than
anyone imagined. But we do have that capability now. And,
you know, I think that's where the whole concept and
my belief in no boots on the ground whenever possible,
hopefully never, can go forward. But we've got to also
(21:50):
understand that you know, evil nations themselves are developing their
own technologies and trying their level best because they are
enemies of freedom. You know, we as Americans, if you
look at our founding documents and listen to our founders
and framers, they talked a lot about, you know, life being,
(22:12):
you know, that we're created by God. We're endowed by
a creator. We believe in natural rights. and that this
creator designed every man, woman, and child on this earth,
and then people get to choose throughout their life or
get indoctrinated to and lose their minds and captivated by
whatever sick, twisted, ugly ideology that might drive them or
(22:36):
motivate them. It's remarkable the similarities that I see between
then and now. And I never would have imagined the
after October 7th, the rise of virulent anti-Semitism, for example,
in this country. I wouldn't have imagined what we saw
(22:57):
on college campuses or what we're hearing in the halls
of Congress or what we're hearing on the airwaves from certain,
you know, ignorant morons that, you know, have a microphone.
And it is it's it takes your breath away. You know,
back in 2004, when I wrote a terrorism, despotism, and liberalism,
(23:21):
it was misunderstood. It was controversial in the sense that, oh,
you're calling us evil. No, I'm saying that if you
have the wrong people in power, that evil has the
ability to expand and that evil will not be confronted
if you don't have the moral clarity and understanding that
(23:41):
it does exist. And what form of manifestation it might
take on or what country it may be at any
given moment doesn't matter. You know, we find ourselves divided
as a country over the whole issue of preventing Iran
from getting nuclear weapons. I've repeated this often. And I
(24:03):
am a full supporter of the Trump doctrine. Trump doctrine
now is more possible because of the next generation of
weaponry that we have, and we're developing another generation of
weaponry that, you know, we're beginning to see glimpses of it.
We read about reports of lasers shooting drones out of
the sky out of Mexico. That is now preventing the
(24:27):
drug cartels from being able to monitor the border and
see any threat that exists so they can bring, you know,
deadly drugs into our country. They've been enormously effective. You know,
bunker buster bombs that were used during Operation Midnight Hammer,
effectively destroying Iran's nuclear facilities, their enrichment facilities, you know,
(24:49):
followed up by epic fury because they still their desire,
their their blind hatred and ambition didn't stop them from
wanting to acquire and build out a nuclear weapons program.
You know, for all the talk about the difficulties that
we have confronted over the Strait of Hormuz and, There
is legitimate, you know, discussion and debate to be had,
(25:10):
but oil is getting through the strait. But putting all
of that aside, imagine a nuclear-armed Iran. The Strait of
Hormuz would be in full and total control of them.
What would we be able to say to them? The
president brought this up last night in Dallas when we
were in the stadium. And, you know, I've got to
(25:31):
tip my hat. My memory.
Takes me back to this day watching all of the
coverage today. And I just, one of the things that
really stood out in my mind, and I've mentioned it
I think every year since, I'll mention it again today,
is while we saw the worst in humanity and the
(25:53):
worst evil, and yes, a state of shock that most
people went in, we saw the best of humanity also.
You know, starting with those people that went into those
buildings knowing that they would likely die. And knowing and
making phone calls to their families to that effect. I mean, just,
(26:15):
you know, what does the Bible tell us? You know,
man had no greater love than to lay down his
life for another. There is no greater love. The example
of Jesus, you know, being crucified and on a cross
to reconcile mankind to God the Father. It's it is
the ultimate sacrifice. They do it knowingly. You know, I
(26:38):
have so many friends over the years that have been
in either the NYPD or in, you know, the transit
police people, the Port Authority police people, my friends that
are firefighters. I used to, you know, for fun and
kicks and giggles, I'd give them a hard time. And,
you know, I'd say, oh, well, what is this rack
time thing that you guys have? Meaning, you know, if
(27:01):
if it's a slower night and they're working a 24
hour shift, which they often do, then, you know, if
they have a slow period, they might get an hour,
a couple hours that they get to sleep. And then
they cook the best and most delicious and most extravagant
meals in the world.
Speaker 4 (27:17):
And.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
They, and I'd give them a hard time over it.
I'd be like, come on. I mean, you get paid
to sleep. You get paid to cook these great meals
that you're telling me about all the time that I'm
not able to participate in. And, you know, trust me,
they were friends. They would get me more than I
got them. And then they'd always come back with, you know,
(27:39):
and then what happens on a day like 9-11? You know, checkmate,
case closed. issue over, or if somebody's in need, they're there.
And they put themselves in harm's way for us. And
then on a side note, you had all of these
New Yorkers volunteering to go down in the search and
(28:00):
recovery efforts at Ground Zero. And then you had the
aftermath and the conflicts and the war and all the
people that would take care of all of our injured
soldiers or try, you can never fully, but try and
comfort the families that lost their loved ones, you know,
fighting and defending and trying to prevent another attack on
(28:21):
our homeland. And then you had, I'll never forget being
down at ground zero and, you know, seeing, you know,
pop-up tents. From the day, I'll never forget. I don't
know why I don't forget this. You'd have bodegas and
you'd have, you know, well-known pizza places and Campbell's soup.
(28:41):
And they set up all of these these tents around
the area outside of ground zero where first responders and
people and workers could go and get fed for free.
And and they they did it lovingly and generously. And again,
you saw the worst in humanity. You saw the best
in humanity. You saw good and you saw evil. And
(29:04):
I guess there's always going to be a hatred of
who we are as a country and what it is
that we stand for. What I guess I never anticipated
in my life when I started this career in broadcasting,
I don't think I ever anticipated that we would have
an entire party taken over by people that would have
(29:31):
a stated position to defund our Department of War, formerly
known as the Department of Defense. I mean, because it
is a total capitulation to evil. I mean, there's nothing
that evil would like more than to abolish the Department
of Defense, the Department of War, or the idea that we,
(29:52):
you know, will shred our Constitution because they don't like
our way of life. They don't like our framers and
our founders anymore. and the principles that built this country
into the greatest country God gave man and the greatest
wealth-producing country God gave man. Barry Farber, one of the
pioneers of talk radio, famously said, there's never been a
(30:12):
country like the U.S. that has accumulated more power and
abused it less than us. And I add, there's never
been a country in the history of man that has
accumulated more power, abused it less, and used it for
the advancement of good more than the United States. And
we saw, you know, our generosity knows no bounds whenever
(30:36):
there's something going on in the world. But they want
to eliminate the Senate, your ability to choose a president.
They want to pack the courts. They want to have
open borders, abolish borders, you know, amnesty for illegals, you know,
end all deportation, get rid of ICE, get rid of
the police, get rid of prisons, you know, get rid
of cash bail. establish a wealth tax, steal other people's
(31:00):
money for their power, and then promises that will never
be fulfilled. It's on the ballot in 53 days. It
is literally an inflection point for this country. And I
say that on 9-11 because if you think it can't happen,
it can. Everything can happen. It's all at risk. 800-941-SHAWN
(31:21):
is our number if you want to be a part
of the program. Quick break, right back.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Always honoring our servicemen and servicewomen and standing up for
liberty every day. Sean Hannity.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
All right, remembering 9-11, Frank Siller will join us, Tunnel
to Towers Foundation. If you haven't heard the full story
of his brother, Stephen, we'll tell you about that on
the other side. Patrick Sullivan, he was a Secret Service agent,
and he literally was hired, and in the days leading
up to 9-11, was able to get 20 grenades into
(32:25):
airports to bring on airplanes prior to 9-11. How did
we not wake up knowing that? John Andrasik will join us,
and we'll get to your calls coming up as well.
Speaker 5 (32:35):
800-941-SHAWN.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
Our prayers are with the families that lost loved ones
25 years ago today.
This just into our newsroom, a plane has crashed into
the World Trade Center.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Another plane.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Apparently that was another plane.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
An airplane has crashed into the World Trade Center.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
There appears to be a gaping hole.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Gone away.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Oh, there it goes, there it goes, there it goes,
there it goes.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
The whole side has collapsed.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
The whole building has collapsed.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Hour two has had a major explosion.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
And a complete collapse.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
We're able to.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Collapse in one of the hours.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
We're not going to be cowered by it, that we're
not afraid. Faithful friends.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
The freedom-loving nations of the world stand by our side.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Shimmering stars. Proud to have the red, white, and blue.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Westward wind.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
This country will not relent.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Shown the way.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Proud to be a part of this country.
Speaker 5 (01:13):
Carry me.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
I think about the families, the children.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Freedom itself was attacked and freedom will be defended. I
can hear you. The rest of the world hears you.
(01:45):
The resolve of our great nation is being tested.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
We will not forget the 2,800 people.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Fire not only were heroes at the beginning but they're
still heroes we're going.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
To come out of this.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Emotionally stronger and.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
The commitment of our fathers is now the calling of.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Our time those guys did more than anyone ever expected of.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Them they messed with the wrong city they messed with
the wrong state.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
And I just don't want people to forget.
Speaker 5 (02:43):
They all had a sense of duty to protect us all.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
We will be steadfast in our determination. The rest of
the country now understand who the true defenders are. May
the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers
bless you.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the
blessings of St. Patrick behold you.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
God bless Ireland and God bless the United States of America.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Now America is embracing a new ethic and a new creed.
Let's roll.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
The phrase New York's finest and New York's bravest means
something now, doesn't it?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
This is a time to reflect and be thankful for
where we are today.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
We will rebuild New York City.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yet after America was attacked, it was as if our
entire country looked into a mirror and saw our better selves.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
That, of course, Michael W. Smith, there she stands. And today,
25 years ago, the worst attack on U.S. soil in
American history. I was in New York at the time,
and it's kind of hard to wrap my mind around
(04:27):
the fact that it was 25 years ago. And It's
I watching the coverage today has brought a level of
sobriety to my thinking that I really can't. I don't
know if I can express it and articulate it the
way that I really want to, because it's on that
(04:52):
day we saw the worst in humanity. You know, there's
a line in that song that you just heard of
Michael W. that, you know, when evil calls itself a martyr,
and remember the people flying those airplanes recorded saying Allahu
Akbar as they plowed into the towers with the knowledge
(05:14):
that they're killing untold numbers of Americans because that's what
their goal was, that's what their plan was. And I
can't help but, look at where we are today as
a country, and there are many of you I know
took the time and watched a lot of the coverage,
and we'll have coverage tonight, and we're doing it through
the radio program throughout today. And just a reminder, but
(05:38):
there really are two groups of people that existed then
and exist today, and while some things have changed, many
things have remained the same. And it's the part that
remains the same that is inexplicable to me. And we
(06:00):
saw the worst in humanity that day. We saw evil
on display. And it's an evil that exists. I mean,
there are people in this country that are mad that
President Trump decided that the evil regime of Iran, and
they are evil. When you chant death to America, death
(06:20):
to Israel, and you go about funding and being the
number one funder and sponsor of terrorism statewide, that's evil.
You're killing innocent people in the name of some sick
ideology that you believe in, or you're teaching young people
that if they kill innocent men, women, and children, that God,
(06:42):
Allah in this case, will reward them with 72 virgins
in paradise, that still exists today. And I know it's
hard for good people to wrap their minds around the
fact that evil does exist, but it does. And it
exists today. And the pre 9-11, we talked about pre
(07:02):
9-11 mindset and a post 9-11 mindset. You know, we
saw the worst in humanity and we saw the best
in humanity that day and ever since. Like Frank Siller
will join us later in the program. Others, you know,
that that are intimately involved. He lost his brother that day.
(07:22):
His brother finished his shift. He was a firefighter in
New York, one of 343 that died that day. We
lost 2,977 Americans that day. We lost many others from
9-11-related illnesses. We had no idea it was like a
toxic burn pit right there at ground zero, and they
didn't have the proper equipment, and people are dying to
(07:44):
this day. And more people have died from that than
actually died on 9-11 the day itself. And there's still
this evil that has not been eradicated. And then there
are people that somehow, some way, some bizarre way of thinking,
(08:05):
you know, when October 7, 2023 happened, 1,200 Israelis were
murdered in cold blood. And many more were kidnapped and
tortured and raped and many beheaded. You know, then all
of a sudden, what was the response of some and many,
you know, around the world, in the halls of Congress,
(08:27):
on college campuses, on airwaves? You know, they're blaming Israel
for defending itself. Well, they have a small population. That's
like the equivalent of killing 40,000 Americans in a day.
Here it is 25 years later. We're talking about 2,977 Americans.
And I think that the stakes are high. And in
(08:49):
light of, you know, I'm looking at an election before us,
and I truly, honestly believe that when I listen to
the radicals that have now taken over the Democratic Party,
and they nominate somebody like Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, without
(09:10):
going through his history of extremism and radicalism, I mean,
there's plenty that I can tell you about him even today,
you know, and, you know, James Tallarico visiting a mosque
after 9-11 to show solidarity with Muslims. No, not every
Muslim is a radical extremist. There is a distinction. You know,
(09:32):
a 9-11 hero's father sounded the alarm over Abdul Syed,
David Beamer. is a member of Flight 93 that went
down on a field in Pennsylvania, and he came up
with the line, let's roll, called on Michigan to vote
American this time, warning that he believes Democratic socialists pose
(09:53):
an existential threat to the nation. And I think of,
you know, the 250... DSA candidates on the ballot in
53 days. Hannity, why are you talking about this? Why
are you connecting it to 9-11? They want to defund
the Department of War. That's why. Because they don't understand
(10:13):
the nature of the threat that we are currently facing.
Or the strongest critics of Donald Trump when he neutralized
the potential of radical mullahs in Iran getting nuclear weapons
and the threat that that would pose to the entire world.
And he's got nothing but criticism for it. You know,
(10:37):
or I look at, you know, the DSAs, you know,
this is now a fight, this election for Western civilization itself.
But without America, let me tell you, you see the
decline all over Western Europe. We've talked about that exhaustively.
They have neglected their defenses, both collectively as a continent
(10:59):
and individually as nations. They've embraced radical climate alarmism and
radical socialism. They've had unfettered, illegal immigration without assimilation. Never
thought I'd see 100 Sharia courts in Great Britain, but
there they stand. Or You know, no-go zones in other
(11:21):
parts of Europe, like France, that's all there. And I
think of, you know, America, the beacon of hope, the
shining city on the hill, and a stated, printed policy,
250 elected DSA members in 40 different states and 40-plus
more on the ballot in 53 days. And these people
(11:42):
want to eliminate the U.S. Senate, prevent you from choosing
your president. They want to pack the courts. And you
want to talk about a national security nightmare under Biden, Harris, Mayorkas,
if that was not the most preventable national security disaster
in our history? You know, you had over 12 million
that we know about. We don't know how many gotaways
(12:04):
also got across the border. We do know they we've
identified people from over 200 countries. Many of the countries
have terror ties. And this new radical group of Democrats
that now owns the Democratic Party wants amnesty for illegals
and to abolish borders. And they want to lash out
(12:24):
and abolish ICE. And they want to end all deportation.
And I repeat, want to defund the Department of War,
formerly known as the Department of Defense. And in terms
of law and order and safety and security, Well, they'd
like to abolish the police, abolish prisons, eliminate cash bail.
And on top of that, their economic philosophy and ideology
(12:49):
is one of public ownership of corporations. And, you know,
they want to you want they want you to empower
them to take other people's money. That's called, you know,
a wealth tax. Well, the people that moved out of
New York and California and New Jersey and Illinois will
just move out of the country if they start confiscating
(13:11):
their money, which some talk about. And then, of course,
they want you to believe that the people that spend
more money on education per capita per child in the
industrialized world with the worst results, that they can provide
you free childhood daycare, you know, babysitters for date night
(13:32):
for couples, guaranteed government jobs and guaranteed government salaries and
guaranteed government healthy food and guaranteed government retirement and guaranteed
government health care. And they can't even run the post
office right. But that's where this this is it. So
it's you know, that's why I keep saying it doesn't
(13:54):
matter if you're in Michigan and you'd vote for El-Sayed
or in Texas and six gender Telerico, or the guy
with the vile temper, Graham Platner, 2.0, Troy Jackson in Maine,
any Congressman that has a Democrat next to their name
or any, you know, Senator Senate candidate that, that has
a D next to their name, they're going to give
(14:17):
into these radicals. And that is an existential threat. They
will shred our con what I just described to you
that they have in writing, which shred our constitution and,
destroy our country and our way of life. And we'd
have no way to defend ourselves and our country as
we know it ceases to exist. That's on the ballot
(14:40):
in 53 days.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
America will never forget. This is the Sean Hannity Show.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
You know, you can't talk about 9-11 25 years ago
and not recognize the heroism on display that day. 343
firefighters died. 23 police officers died. Many other emergency responders died. And,
you know, where they all knew when they were going
in that building and they were going up and everyone
(15:50):
else was racing down that they were putting their lives
in jeopardy. You can hear it in the phone calls,
the final calls that they made to loved ones and
voicemails that they left. And, you know, that is the
best of humanity. You know, when people were digging through
the rubble at 9-11, where this took place, and all
(16:12):
of the restaurants that gave free food to the first
responders was beyond inspiring.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
So many people chipped in. The one thing you can
(16:49):
always count on. Sean Hannity is back on the radio.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
I-25 till the top of the hour, this 25th anniversary
of 9-11-01. By the way, just to be clear and
to clarify, we lost 2,977 Americans that day, 343 firefighters
we lost that day, 23 police officers did die that day,
and 37 Port Authority police officers died as well. And
they've They often worked in the area in and around
(17:26):
where the World Trade Center once existed. And it is
it's really remarkable when you think about all that has
taken place since then and where we are today. You know,
and we have it's mind numbing to know we have
candidates that, you know, made comments about 9-11 that are
(17:47):
so morally bankrupt and corrupt with and they have a
chance to win. which is, you know, spectacularly, you know,
ignorant to me.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Americans do not yet have the distance of history, but
our responsibility to history is already clear to answer these
attacks and rid the world of evil.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I hear people We don't need this war.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
We protest this war, and it's not a war, actually,
it's a slaughter.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
But I say there's some things worth fighting for.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
We are very grateful and thankful that we live in
a country where there's freedom of speech, that people who
are either for or against a war.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Can speak out.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
What about our freedom? Everything just went black. And this
piece of ground?
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Everything came down.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
We didn't get to keep them. My back and down.
Glass stopped popping and people got hurt. They say we
don't realize the mess we're getting in.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Oh, there it goes.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
There it goes.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
There it goes. Before you start your preaching, let me
ask you this, my friend. Have you forgotten? Oh, my God. Oh,
the next building just blew up.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Another plane just flew in. I feel the heat. The
explosion is incredible.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Have you forgotten?
Speaker 3 (19:15):
I saw this plane come out of nowhere and just
beam right into the side of the Twin Tower, exploding
through the other side.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
There's been an act of war declared upon America by terrorists.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you.
And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear
all of us soon.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Ah!
Speaker 3 (19:43):
I'm going to die.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
I'm going to die.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Say your prayers.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
I'm gonna die.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
It's so hot. I'm burning up. Have you forgotten?
Speaker 4 (20:00):
There are dozens of residents that are sitting on the
hill behind the Pentagon, almost like they're waiting for the
4th of July fireworks, but instead they're staring dumbfounded at
what looks like a war zone. I mean, you see
bodies flying out of the sky and you can't do
nothing about it.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
You tell me. There's no words to describe what's going
on out there. Have you forgotten?
Speaker 1 (20:21):
America is a nation full of good fortune with so
much to be grateful for, but we are not spared
from suffering. In every generation, the world has produced enemies
of human freedom. They have attacked America. Because we are
freedom's home and defender.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Have you forgotten?
Speaker 1 (20:38):
And the commitment of our fathers is now the calling
of our time.
Speaker 4 (20:42):
USA! USA!
Speaker 3 (20:43):
USA! Well, those words ring true today. It's the calling
of our time. And the enemies, there are enemies of
human freedom. And we see them all over the place.
And it exists and manifests itself in many forms. And
(21:06):
it's relevant in this sense to where we are as
a country. We certainly learned lessons from post 9-11 in
terms of conflicts and battles and war and you know,
in fairness, 25 years ago, we didn't have the military
technology that we have today and the ability to, you know,
(21:28):
strike with pinpoint accuracy distances that are much further than
anyone imagined. But we do have that capability now. And,
you know, I think that's where the whole concept and
my belief in no boots on the ground whenever possible,
hopefully never, can go forward. But we've got to also
(21:50):
understand that you know, evil nations themselves are developing their
own technologies and trying their level best because they are
enemies of freedom. You know, we as Americans, if you
look at our founding documents and listen to our founders
and framers, they talked a lot about, you know, life being,
(22:12):
you know, that we're created by God. We're endowed by
a creator. We believe in natural rights. and that this
creator designed every man, woman, and child on this earth,
and then people get to choose throughout their life or
get indoctrinated to and lose their minds and captivated by
whatever sick, twisted, ugly ideology that might drive them or
(22:36):
motivate them. It's remarkable the similarities that I see between
then and now. And I never would have imagined the
after October 7th, the rise of virulent anti-Semitism, for example,
in this country. I wouldn't have imagined what we saw
(22:57):
on college campuses or what we're hearing in the halls
of Congress or what we're hearing on the airwaves from certain,
you know, ignorant morons that, you know, have a microphone.
And it is it's it takes your breath away. You know,
back in 2004, when I wrote a terrorism, despotism, and liberalism,
(23:21):
it was misunderstood. It was controversial in the sense that, oh,
you're calling us evil. No, I'm saying that if you
have the wrong people in power, that evil has the
ability to expand and that evil will not be confronted
if you don't have the moral clarity and understanding that
(23:41):
it does exist. And what form of manifestation it might
take on or what country it may be at any
given moment doesn't matter. You know, we find ourselves divided
as a country over the whole issue of preventing Iran
from getting nuclear weapons. I've repeated this often. And I
(24:03):
am a full supporter of the Trump doctrine. Trump doctrine
now is more possible because of the next generation of
weaponry that we have, and we're developing another generation of
weaponry that, you know, we're beginning to see glimpses of it.
We read about reports of lasers shooting drones out of
the sky out of Mexico. That is now preventing the
(24:27):
drug cartels from being able to monitor the border and
see any threat that exists so they can bring, you know,
deadly drugs into our country. They've been enormously effective. You know,
bunker buster bombs that were used during Operation Midnight Hammer,
effectively destroying Iran's nuclear facilities, their enrichment facilities, you know,
(24:49):
followed up by epic fury because they still their desire,
their their blind hatred and ambition didn't stop them from
wanting to acquire and build out a nuclear weapons program.
You know, for all the talk about the difficulties that
we have confronted over the Strait of Hormuz and, There
is legitimate, you know, discussion and debate to be had,
(25:10):
but oil is getting through the strait. But putting all
of that aside, imagine a nuclear-armed Iran. The Strait of
Hormuz would be in full and total control of them.
What would we be able to say to them? The
president brought this up last night in Dallas when we
were in the stadium. And, you know, I've got to
(25:31):
tip my hat. My memory.
Takes me back to this day watching all of the
coverage today. And I just, one of the things that
really stood out in my mind, and I've mentioned it
I think every year since, I'll mention it again today,
is while we saw the worst in humanity and the
(25:53):
worst evil, and yes, a state of shock that most
people went in, we saw the best of humanity also.
You know, starting with those people that went into those
buildings knowing that they would likely die. And knowing and
making phone calls to their families to that effect. I mean, just,
(26:15):
you know, what does the Bible tell us? You know,
man had no greater love than to lay down his
life for another. There is no greater love. The example
of Jesus, you know, being crucified and on a cross
to reconcile mankind to God the Father. It's it is
the ultimate sacrifice. They do it knowingly. You know, I
(26:38):
have so many friends over the years that have been
in either the NYPD or in, you know, the transit
police people, the Port Authority police people, my friends that
are firefighters. I used to, you know, for fun and
kicks and giggles, I'd give them a hard time. And,
you know, I'd say, oh, well, what is this rack
time thing that you guys have? Meaning, you know, if
(27:01):
if it's a slower night and they're working a 24
hour shift, which they often do, then, you know, if
they have a slow period, they might get an hour,
a couple hours that they get to sleep. And then
they cook the best and most delicious and most extravagant
meals in the world.
Speaker 4 (27:17):
And.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
They, and I'd give them a hard time over it.
I'd be like, come on. I mean, you get paid
to sleep. You get paid to cook these great meals
that you're telling me about all the time that I'm
not able to participate in. And, you know, trust me,
they were friends. They would get me more than I
got them. And then they'd always come back with, you know,
(27:39):
and then what happens on a day like 9-11? You know, checkmate,
case closed. issue over, or if somebody's in need, they're there.
And they put themselves in harm's way for us. And
then on a side note, you had all of these
New Yorkers volunteering to go down in the search and
(28:00):
recovery efforts at Ground Zero. And then you had the
aftermath and the conflicts and the war and all the
people that would take care of all of our injured
soldiers or try, you can never fully, but try and
comfort the families that lost their loved ones, you know,
fighting and defending and trying to prevent another attack on
(28:21):
our homeland. And then you had, I'll never forget being
down at ground zero and, you know, seeing, you know,
pop-up tents. From the day, I'll never forget. I don't
know why I don't forget this. You'd have bodegas and
you'd have, you know, well-known pizza places and Campbell's soup.
(28:41):
And they set up all of these these tents around
the area outside of ground zero where first responders and
people and workers could go and get fed for free.
And and they they did it lovingly and generously. And again,
you saw the worst in humanity. You saw the best
in humanity. You saw good and you saw evil. And
(29:04):
I guess there's always going to be a hatred of
who we are as a country and what it is
that we stand for. What I guess I never anticipated
in my life when I started this career in broadcasting,
I don't think I ever anticipated that we would have
an entire party taken over by people that would have
(29:31):
a stated position to defund our Department of War, formerly
known as the Department of Defense. I mean, because it
is a total capitulation to evil. I mean, there's nothing
that evil would like more than to abolish the Department
of Defense, the Department of War, or the idea that we,
(29:52):
you know, will shred our Constitution because they don't like
our way of life. They don't like our framers and
our founders anymore. and the principles that built this country
into the greatest country God gave man and the greatest
wealth-producing country God gave man. Barry Farber, one of the
pioneers of talk radio, famously said, there's never been a
(30:12):
country like the U.S. that has accumulated more power and
abused it less than us. And I add, there's never
been a country in the history of man that has
accumulated more power, abused it less, and used it for
the advancement of good more than the United States. And
we saw, you know, our generosity knows no bounds whenever
(30:36):
there's something going on in the world. But they want
to eliminate the Senate, your ability to choose a president.
They want to pack the courts. They want to have
open borders, abolish borders, you know, amnesty for illegals, you know,
end all deportation, get rid of ICE, get rid of
the police, get rid of prisons, you know, get rid
of cash bail. establish a wealth tax, steal other people's
(31:00):
money for their power, and then promises that will never
be fulfilled. It's on the ballot in 53 days. It
is literally an inflection point for this country. And I
say that on 9-11 because if you think it can't happen,
it can. Everything can happen. It's all at risk. 800-941-SHAWN
(31:21):
is our number if you want to be a part
of the program. Quick break, right back.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Always honoring our servicemen and servicewomen and standing up for
liberty every day. Sean Hannity.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
All right, remembering 9-11, Frank Siller will join us, Tunnel
to Towers Foundation. If you haven't heard the full story
of his brother, Stephen, we'll tell you about that on
the other side. Patrick Sullivan, he was a Secret Service agent,
and he literally was hired, and in the days leading
up to 9-11, was able to get 20 grenades into
(32:25):
airports to bring on airplanes prior to 9-11. How did
we not wake up knowing that? John Andrasik will join us,
and we'll get to your calls coming up as well.
Speaker 5 (32:35):
800-941-SHAWN.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
Our prayers are with the families that lost loved ones
25 years ago today.
The Sean Hannity Show News
Host
Sean Hannity
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