NEW YORK: President Barack Obama stopped at the site of the destroyed Twin Towers in New York on Thursday and inscribed the final beam in the rebuilt World Trade Center with the words: "We remember."
Obama and his wife Michelle Obama -- who came to New York to attend reelection campaign fundraisers hosted by showbiz personalities -- joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at the nearly finished 104-story tower.
During the lightning visit, Obama signed a beam marked "One World Trade Center" and left his brief message.
"We remember, we rebuild, we come back stronger! Barack Obama," the inscription read.
The president then left for two fundraisers, including one at the posh home of actress Sarah Jessica Parker who is the latest in Obama's Hollywood-heavy list of financial supporters.
Before leaving in his motorcade, Obama greeted construction workers in hardhats, telling them the replacement for the Twin Towers was an "incredible structure" and "we couldn't be prouder of you guys. This is what the American spirit is all about."
Obama was last at the World Trade Center in 2011 on the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks that destroyed the Twin Towers and killed nearly 3,000 people.
New York authorities say that One World Trade Center, popularly known as Freedom Tower, will measure 1,776 feet when finished, becoming the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. (AFP)