White House Historical Association President
Stewart McLaurin Reflects on September 11, 2001,
25 Years Later with Former ABC News White House Correspondent Ann Compton,
Longtime White House Chief Usher Gary Walters, and Former Special Assistant to
President George W. Bush Anita McBride
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The White House Historical Association today released a new episode of The White House 1600 Sessions podcast marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks through firsthand accounts from three people who experienced the fateful day from inside the White House and alongside President George W. Bush.
President of the White House Historical Association, Stewart McLaurin sits down with former ABC News White House correspondent Ann Compton; Gary Walters, the longtime White House chief usher; and Anita McBride, then special assistant to President George W. Bush. Their first-person accounts offer a rare look inside the White House on September 11 and preserve these important memories for future generations.
President George W. Bush began that morning at an elementary school in Sarasota, Florida. Within minutes, he was leading the nation through one of the gravest crises in its history. As officials rushed him aboard Air Force One, White House staff evacuated the complex amid reports that another hijacked aircraft could be heading toward Washington. Throughout the day, those at the White House worked to maintain continuity of government while preparing for the president’s return.
After evacuating the White House, McBride details how she led her colleagues to a nearby office building so White House staff could have access to the technology they needed to continue working and supporting the Executive Mansion.
Gary Walters details how he remained at the White House to prepare for the President’s return as South Lawn was set up for a picnic and needed to be cleared for Marine One to land upon the President’s arrival home.
“Six of us got around the picnic tables and picked them up one by one and carried them over to the roadway and stacked them one on top of the other,” said Walters. “We also had to take up the floor of the stage, everything that was moveable had to go. It was a massive undertaking and exhausting, but the exhilaration and the adrenaline was flowing in everybody.”
Ann Compton recounts her experience as a member of the press pool travelling with the president. From Florida to Louisiana, Nebraska, and ultimately back to Washington, D.C., she witnessed the president’s movements firsthand and offered unique insight into his response and actions on September 11.
“While the president was listening to the children, I suddenly saw Andy Card, the White House Chief of Staff, come quickly in, lean over, whisper to the president, and quickly step back again. What stunned me was the look on the president’s face,” said Compton. “He had been president for less than nine months, and I had never seen President Bush with a look of such gravity, iron gravity in his eyes.”
McLaurin, Compton, McBride, and Walters also reflect on the leadership, humanity, and national unity that emerged from one of the darkest days in American history. They also discuss the importance of preserving these firsthand memories for generations with no living memory of September 11.
“Political affiliations seemed to fade away,” said McLaurin. “I remember so vividly, Congress on the steps of the Capitol that night singing together, united, and the president going to New York in the subsequent days.”
“People banded together,” said McBride. “That’s the message of September 11, the humanity and the unity that we felt in our darkest hour, and that’s what defines who we are as an American people.”
The White House 1600 Sessions podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
The full video of this podcast episode is also available on the White House Historical Association’s YouTube channel here.
The White House 1600 Sessions
The White House Historical Association’s President Stewart McLaurin is the host of The White House 1600 Sessions, the Association’s official audio and video podcast devoted to exploring the history, cultural impact, untold stories, and personal accounts of America’s most iconic residence and highest office.
About the White House Historical Association
Founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, the White House Historical Association is the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization entrusted with preserving and sharing the history of the White House. Supported entirely by private philanthropy and the sale of educational books and products, the Association reaches millions of students, teachers, and lifelong learners through research and scholarship initiatives, public programming, and the authoritative titles published by its independent press. Throughout each presidency, the Association works with the Offices of the First Lady and the White House Curator to acquire and preserve historic objects for the White House Fine and Decorative Arts Collection. The Association also operates The People’s House: A White House Experience, a free, immersive, educational museum in Washington, D.C., which welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. To learn more about the White House Historical Association, please visit WhiteHouseHistory.org.
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SOURCE The White House Historical Association
