President Barack Obama joined the families of victims and survivors in the opening of the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City on Thursday, Bloomberg News reported.
He called the museum a "sacred place of healing and hope."
"It is an honor for us to join in your memories," Obama said. "To remember and to reflect, but above all to reaffirm the true spirit of 9/11: love, compassion, sacrifice and to enshrine it forever in the heart of our nation."
Attendees gathered at Ground Zero, nearly 13 years after the terrorist attacks occurred and killed thousands of Americans.
The attacks show the U.S. is "a nation that stands tall and united and unafraid," Obama said. "Nothing could ever break us. Nothing can change who we are as Americans."
"We stand in the footprints of two mighty towers graced by the rush of eternal waters," Obama said. "We look into the faces of nearly 3,000 innocent souls - men and women and children of every race, every creed from every corner of the world. We can touch their names and hear their voices and glimpse the small items that speak to the beauty of their lives. A wedding ring. A dusty helmet. A shining badge."
Obama and the first lady Michelle Obama went on a guided tour with former President Bill Clinton and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, led by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
"This museum, built on the site of rubble and ruins, is now filled with the faces, the stories and the memories of our common grief and our common hope," said Bloomberg, who is also chairman of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. "Walking through this museum can be difficult at times, but it is impossible to leave without feeling inspired."
Bloomberg helped raise $400 million of the $750 million it cost to build the museum, according to Bloomberg News.
Other speakers included current Mayor Bill de Blasio, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
