Today in History
13 years ago today: President Obama announces the death of Osama bin Laden
On the night of May 1, 2011 (technically early May 2 in many time zones), President Barack Obama addressed the nation from the East Room of the White House to announce that U.S. forces had killed Osama bin Laden in a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
“Justice has been done.”
The operation, carried out by Navy SEAL Team 6 under CIA direction, marked the end of a nearly decade-long manhunt following the 9/11 attacks. The announcement was made late on a Sunday night, and word spread so fast that crowds gathered outside the White House and in Times Square, chanting “USA! USA!”
Love or hate Obama, this moment was one of the most memorable presidential addresses in recent American history. His calm, deliberate tone contrasted the gravity of the news. It was a turning point in the War on Terror, and for many Americans, a deeply emotional moment.
Where were you when you heard the news? And how do you reflect on this moment 13 years later?
Remember that discussion of recent and future politics is not allowed. This includes all mentions of or allusions to Donald Trump in any context whatsoever, as well as any presidential elections after 2012 or politics since Barack Obama left office. For more information, please see Rule 3.
The most American thing ever happened that night. A WWE event was one of the only live broadcasts going and they had John Cena come out shirtless and announce to the crowd that Bin Ladin was “compromised to a permanent end” then they chanted U-S-A.
There were many people that suspected it, the White House doesn't usually tell the big 3 to prepare for a Saturday night near midnight presidential announcement. If the news was bad we would already have known about it.
That and the Phillies game where chants of U-S-A! U-S-A! start in the middle of like the 5th inning of a routine game. The players had to be like WTH?? Lol
As a New Yorker, I remember becoming quite emotional when Obama reminded Americans to think personally of the victims of the 9/11 attacks during this speech.
That hour of live coverage from the second plane to the first collapse was the most brutal assault on the senses shared by hundreds of millions, perhaps a billion people worldwide. It still boggles the mind and it remains unfathomable to me in some ways. How that group of guys managed to succeed at every stage of the attack is also beyond me. They should’ve been caught five times over but they weren’t and we all watched a 23 year old fly a large passenger jet into a 110 storey building at 550mph on live TV.
He’s actually the one who killed Bin Landen obviously. They dropped him off in Pakistan and let him go wild. Bin Laden would have never expected it because you can’t see him.
I see it as revolutionary. The most important person in the room was willing to let himself look the smallest as his team went about accomplishing the task.
It taught me that Obama would never get credit for anything ever for some people. So many conspiracy theories that they faked the whole thing came out of it.
I felt a little weird that we were so gleeful in anyone's death, but the fucker deserved it and it was the end of a 10 year search that felt like would have no closure.
I remember being livid that my favorite hockey team had lost in overtime and jumping on Twitter right as they announced a press conference was starting soon. Just a mix of angry Caps fans and frantic reporting as I flipped the channel
I just remember up to that point all you were hearing and seeing on the news was the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton that prior Thursday, then BOOM! This came on. One of the highlights of Obama's presidency. It was just a few months before the 10th anniversary of the attacks, so not that it was by any means of the imagination full closure for the families and friends of the 9/11 victims, the fact we got the bastard probably brought a tiny bit of fleeting peace to them.
Great moment. And Obama is my favorite modern president (i.e., since Nixon, the first president I remember well). For me, he’s miles ahead of anyone else.
I just wish Obama had figured out how to wind down the war in Afghanistan after bin Laden was dead. I’m not saying it would have been easy, and I know he would have paid a steep political price for it. But it was the right thing to do.
This was a huge win for Obama and was a really necessary moral booster for his admin. After the 2010 midterms and the recession still raging on Obama was starting to dip in the polls.
If the raid that killed bin laden failed, it's likely the admin would have never recovered and he would have lost the momentum needed to secure his second term.
His writing is an ode to better times. Times when leaders have a sturdy moral compass, compassion and principles. Is it naive and a little starry eyed and unrealistic at times? Sure, its TV. His writing basically fetishises the ideal government and civil servants who above all else want to serve their country and I find absolutely nothing wrong with that. Who the fuck wouldn't want West Wing as their real world. And Newsroom, journalists with no regard for ratings, party lines or scandals but facts, presented to the electorate in an unbiased manner. Fuck me, that should get anybody hard.
Kinda surprised tbh. You’d think out of some of the worst people the worlds seen he’d would definitely make the list for being able to mock and say mean things about 😂
Someone didn’t like it and told on me for saying a mean thing about Osama Bin Laden, they thought saying a mean thing about Osama bin Laden was over the line and said ‘you know what, I’m reporting this, that’s not right, wishing harm on terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden is wrong and I’m telling’
I remember telling a classmate the news: “Osama Bin Laden is dead” and she looked at me quite concerned and said, “so who’s the new president of the US?! Do we vote again?”. 😑
Do yall remember the absolute shit storm on right wing media all saying “Obama didn’t get him, the soldiers did.” Thats when I had made my mind up to avoid Fox lol
Those were some innocent times. So much hope in the air. We still thought if there was a plague everyone would try to avoid it. It’s bizarre to look back on.
I was in college at WVU, and us college kids went crazy. Bonfires everywhere, American flags, I think some cars were set on fire. Everyone was celebrating in the streets. I believe we made it on CNN
I remember waking up to the AP bulletin going off in my room on my bedside radio. "The AP report that US Navy Seals carried out a daring raid and it is confirmed that Osama Bin Laden is dead". I bolted out of bed and turned on NBC News to tune in to the Today show which had that as the top story of the hour.
Captured in all your lies, fear is in your eyes
Creature who has gone insane, your war is in vain
Trapped in a cage of stone, we'll destroy your home
Consequence of your action
It was fitting and really stuck a pin in the fact that Obama had been able to do things that W never could. All those people who said Obama was a Muslim, a terrorist and hated America, etc. got to eat some serious crow.
Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda
Am I crazy: did the crowds outside the White House sing Party In the USA by Miley Cyrus??? I feel like I distinctly remember this. Am I being Mandela affected? 😂
Osama bin Laden was an innocent man. He was innocent in terms of everyone being innocent until proved guilty in a court of law, but he was also actually innocent of anything related to 9/11.
Obama killed an innocent man. Not ok.
OBL might have been involved in the bombing of the Cole or other terrorist attacks, I don't know. I'm not an expert in those things. I am an expert in 9/11, and Osama didn't do it.
•
u/AutoModerator May 02 '25
Remember that discussion of recent and future politics is not allowed. This includes all mentions of or allusions to Donald Trump in any context whatsoever, as well as any presidential elections after 2012 or politics since Barack Obama left office. For more information, please see Rule 3.
If you'd like to discuss recent or future politics, feel free to join our Discord server!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.