The United States took time on Wednesday to remember the lives of September 11, 2001, as political figures gathered in New York City to commemorate the somber event at Ground Zero.

President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris attended the gathering marking the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attack in which nearly 3,000 people were killed by hijacked planes.

The annual commemoration coincides with the height of the presidential election, making this year’s commemoration extra poignant.

The day began with Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, arriving at the memorial, where they took photos with attendees. Harris, standing next to Biden, followed shortly after, and the political figures stood side by side.

The night before, Trump had squared off with Harris in a tense presidential debate, but on Wednesday they stood together next to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a rare moment of bipartisan solidarity.

Additionally, Harris and Trump shook hands at the start of the ceremony, while Bloomberg stood by.

However, for the families of the victims, politics was far from the most important thing.

Cathy Naughton, who was there to honor her cousin Michael Roberts, a firefighter killed in the attack, spoke of the lasting grief that haunts survivors.

“It’s just so raw,” she told The Associated Press, stressing the importance of remembering the names of the victims each year. “It just doesn’t get any easier.”

Traditionally, the names of those who lost their lives on September 11 were read during the ceremony.

The ceremony has changed somewhat over the years. Early versions featured presidents and other officials reading from the Declaration of Independence and other texts. But in 2012, the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum, under Bloomberg’s leadership, opted to keep the focus on the victims’ families and limit the microphone to those reading names, a tradition that continues today.

Newsweek contacted the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum by email on Wednesday for comment.

Every year during the ceremony, the families of the victims read their names aloud, while politicians play an observing role.

Despite the passage of time, the aftermath of 9/11 continues to unfold, and communities across the country have developed their own commemorative traditions. From flag displays to community service projects, the memory of September 11 lives on not only as Patriot Day, but as a national day of service and remembrance.

The September 11 attacks changed national security policy and transformed American foreign relations. Two wars followed, one in Afghanistan, America’s longest war, and another in Iraq, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, including thousands of American troops.

This article contains reporting from The Associated Press.