President Bush on Sept. 11, 2001
A Story of 9/11 You Haven't Heard Before
Source: Getty / Paul J. Richards
No matter how long it's been since Sept. 11, 2001, on every anniversary, we hear a new harrowing story from that infamous day. This year, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer has been live tweeting his experience, starting at 8:40 a.m. when he was in the motorcade to the elementary school where President George W. Bush was making an appearance, just six minutes before the first tower was hit. His tweets are incredibly insightful, letting us into President Bush's thoughts and showing photos not many of us have ever seen before.
President Arrives in Sarasota, FL
8:40am, 9-11, 2001: I was in the motorcade 4 the drive from the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort in Sarasota, FL 2the Emma Booker Elem. School.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 20148:46 Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower. The motorcade was a few minutes away from arriving at the school.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Approx 8:50: I got a page on my pager (we didn't have blackberries then and the iPhone hadn't been invented) telling me a plane hit the WTC.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014As soon as I got the page, I hussled out of my car 2tell the Pres. He was shaking hands with school officials - none of whom knew the news.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014The President Still Thinks It's an Accident
After the President finished shaking hands, Karl Rove informed him of what we thought had to be an "accident."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 20149:00 POTUS goes into a holding room and calls Condi. He instructs her 2make resources avail to help NY, still thinking it was an accident.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014After the call, POTUS goes into the classroom and starts reading a book to the kids. The press is in the back of the room.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014I suspect by now most people are watching TV, watching events unfold. I was in the classroom with the President watching the reading event.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Second Tower Hit
9:03 United Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Just before Andy walked in, I got a 2nd page saying the 2nd tower had been hit. I knew instantly it had to be terrorism.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014The Pres. was going to address the press re the "accident". Given the news re the 2nd tower, I didn't think he should address the press yet.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014I wrote on back of a legal pad "DON'T SAY ANYTHING YET". I wanted him 2b briefed b4 talking. I put my back to the press & held up the sign.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014The President continued the reading event for several more minutes. Years later, Michael Moore criticized Bush for not leaving immediately.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Bush said later he stayed 2collect his thoughts and send a signal of calm. He said he didn't want 2bolt from his chair and alarm the nation.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014POTUS left the event and went into the holding room 2get briefed/ work the phones. Here is a picture of the scene. pic.twitter.com/ZztLy2plSl
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014I started 2take notes of what Bush was saying and doing. I have some 6 pages of notes on a legal pad. The originals are in a bank vault now.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Someone wheeled a TV into the holding room. Here's the scene: pic.twitter.com/x9A3RTQykd
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014I found this picture on the web. It looks like a student who was in the room with Bush, many years later. pic.twitter.com/qxNuvkZf7o
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014President Bush Makes First Comments
9:30 Bush addressed a group in the gym that expected 2hear remarks on education. Few people there knew of the attack. No twitter back then.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Here's what Bush said:
Today, we've had a national tragedy.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country. I have spoken to the vice president,
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014to the governor of New York, to the director of the FBI, and I've ordered that the full resources of the federal government go to help...
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014...the victims and their families and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Terrorism against our nation will not stand.
And now, if you'd join me in a moment of silence.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Many commentators and TV anchors criticized him for referring to the terrorists as "folks."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014We boarded the motorcade and drove [fast] to Air Force One, planning for a return to Washington, D.C.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014The Pentagon Is Hit, President Boards Air Force One
9:37 American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014POTUS is told of attack on the Pentagon by either the Secret Service in the front of the limo, or by Condi on the phone. I don't remember.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 20149:45 We boarded Air Force One. I was in my seat for the takeoff and then spent most of the rest of the day in the President's cabin.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014FOne Capt. Mark Tillman told me 10 yrs later that we took off at unusually steep ascent bcause he had a report of a sniper at end of runway.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Colonel Tillman also told the media years later that the control tower told him that an unidentified plane was descending toward AFOne.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014in the President's cabin, I was busy taking notes. He was mostly on the phone with the VP, SecDef Rumsfeld, Gov Pataki and Mayor Giuliani.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Maddeningly, the phone connecting the Pres. to the bunker under the WH (PEOC - Presidential Emergency Operations Center) kept cutting out.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014South Tower Falls
9:59 The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014Read the rest of Ari Fleischer's account on his Twitter.
