President Trump is weighing the possibility of bringing the National September 11 Memorial & Museum under federal control, a move that has already provoked unease among survivors’ groups and the site’s leadership.
Two White House officials confirmed that discussions are underway, though they described them as “preliminary.” No precise mechanism has been put forward for how the administration could assume authority over the Lower Manhattan institution, which opened to the public in 2014 and draws more than two million visitors annually.
Trump himself hinted at one path during his campaign, suggesting the site could be designated a national monument. At a rally last year, he declared that the “hallowed ground” of Ground Zero should be preserved “for all time.”
The idea has met resistance. Beth Hillman, the Museum’s president and chief executive, dismissed the plan: “At a time when the federal government is working to cut costs, assuming the full operating expenses for the site makes no sense.” Spokesman Marc La Vorgna added that there was “nothing in existing law” that would allow such a takeover.
Behind the symbolic weight of the Memorial lies a space, both architectural and cultural. Designed by Snøhetta with subterranean galleries by Davis Brody Bond, the Museum is as much visual as it is narrative — its displays structured around the surviving wall, the Last Column, and artist Spencer Finch’s epic installation Trying to Remember the Colour of the Sky on That September Morning.
The proposal touches a nerve. Since its dedication in 2014 by President Barack Obama and Michael Bloomberg, the site has operated as a hybrid of monument, archive, and Museum. For many, its independence has been central to its identity — a place set apart from Washington’s grip, defined by local stewardship and the voices of survivors.
Whether the Trump administration’s interest represents symbolic politics, genuine federal ambition, or simply a campaign soundbite turned into policy exploration remains unclear. Any move to recast the 9/11 Memorial as a federal project is likely to face fierce scrutiny — from the families who guard its meaning, and from cultural institutions uneasy about Washington’s hand reaching into the custodianship of memory.
Top Photo Courtesy: 9/11 Memorial and Museum