One spent time comforting families.
The other proclaimed the might of the United States.
President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, celebrated the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in memorial services on Friday, where their differences in style could not have been clearer.
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19 years ago, two planes were hijacked and crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and another plane crashed into the Pentagon.
Almost 3,000 people died in the terrorist attacks, the deadliest in history on US soil.
Trump and Biden traveled to rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where a fourth hijacked plane, Flight 93, crashed into a field, killing all 40 people on board.
But the two candidates for the presidency did not intersect.
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While Trump was speaking at the morning memorial service there, Biden visited the venue later that day, after attending the annual September 11 Memorial & Museum commemoration at
'
Ground Zero' in New York, along with the Vice President Mike Pence.
In a rare moment of détente during what has become a bitter election campaign, Biden approached Pence after arriving at the ceremony and tapped him on the shoulder to greet him.
The current and former vice presidents then collided elbows, the popular handshake replacement in the COVID-19 era, just as Biden and second lady Karen Pence did.
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While no similar meeting between Trump and Biden will take place, the day nonetheless brought the two candidates physically closer together than they have been in months.
And while the country will focus on the commemorations, the political significance of his visits to Shanksville cannot be ignored: Pennsylvania is a crucial state on the battlefield in the 2020 election. Trump won that state by less than 1 percentage point ago. four years, and the Democrats hope to return him politically to his territory in the November presidential elections.
Another image of the Tower of Voices, from its interior (2018).
AP
Still, Biden insisted that he would stay away from politics on a national day of mourning that takes place amid another tragedy: the coronavirus pandemic.
“I'm not going to be news today.
I'm not going to talk about anything other than 9/11, "Biden told reporters," we cut all our publicity.
It is a solemn day and this is how we will keep it, okay? "
The Trump campaign did not offer a similar promise.
The president delivered a patriotic message in Shanksville as he shared the story of Flight 93, which authorities said was headed to Washington, DC, until the passengers rallied against the hijackers and managed to divert it from that route.
"The heroes of Flight 93 are an everlasting reminder that no matter the danger, no matter the threat, no matter what the odds are, America will always rise up, stand firm and fight," Trump said.
The president sought to express his empathy for the families of the victims, telling them that "today every heartbeat in America is linked to yours."
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Trump also pointed to how the country had come together after 9/11, not to mention the current growing divisions.
“It was a unity based on love for our families, caring for our neighbors, loyalty to our fellow citizens, pride in our great flag, gratitude for our police and first responders, faith in God and the refusal to bend our will to the depraved forces of violence, intimidation, oppression and evil, "said Trump.
The National Park Service, which is a co-host of Pennsylvania's annual Flight 93 commemorative event, had originally said it was planning a short ceremony this year to minimize the spread of the coronavirus, with no keynote speakers or musical guests.
But after Biden and later the White House announced their plans to visit the scene, the website updated its plans that included comments from Trump and Home Secretary David Bernhardt.
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In 2016, the 9/11 commemorative events became a hot spot of the presidential campaign when then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton abruptly left the 'Ground Zero' ceremony and tripped while trying to get into a van.
That sparked rumors that turned out to be unfounded of her supposed deteriorating health, fueled by right-wing conspiracy theories.
The 2,200-acre Flight 93 National Monument marks the spot in rural Pennsylvania where the hijacked flight crashed.
With information from The Associated Press.