After the debate, Trump and Harris will meet again at the September 11 memorial

Putting aside the bitterness of their debate, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump met again on the hallowed ground of the World Trade Center site Wednesday morning, shaking hands and standing nearly side by side to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

It was a striking image of political unity less than 12 hours after the end of their contentious and personal debate – possibly the only one between them before the November election. Ms Harris stood next to President Biden, while Mr Trump stood next to his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg serving as a human buffer.

Mr Bloomberg appeared to ease the handshake. Ms Harris could be seen saying “thank you” to Mr Trump.

The moment was a return to the sense of national unity that emerged in the months after the hijackers carried out the deadliest terrorist attack in the country’s history. It was reminiscent of 2008, when Barack Obama and John McCain, then rivals for the presidency, met at the September 11 memorial ceremony in Lower Manhattan in the final weeks of their campaign.

Mr Trump and Mr Vance wore matching blue suits and red ties. Ms Harris chatted amiably with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader.

Biden, Harris and Trump were scheduled to lay wreaths in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where passengers aboard Flight 93 brought down their plane before it could reach its intended destination, the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The president and vice president were also scheduled to attend a similar event at the Pentagon, where hijackers brought down a fourth plane in the 2001 attacks.