Trump tweets complaints about media, polls, in the moments leading up to 9/11 ceremonies

In the moments before President Donald Trump was set to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, his mind was decidedly elsewhere.

"If it weren't for the never ending Fake News about me, and with all that I have done (more than any other President in the first 2 1/2 years!), I would be leading the "Partners" of the LameStream Media by 20 points. Sorry, but true!" he tweeted at 8:19 a.m. ET Wednesday after complaining about polling in Tuesday night's special election in North Carolina.

He followed up minutes later with a second tweet : "Leaving the White House soon to speak at the Pentagon. My great honor!"

Trump and the first lady marked the moment the first World Trade Center tower was hit -- 8:46 a.m. -- with a moment of silence on the White House South Lawn. The two solemnly bowed their heads as a bell rang.

Earlier in the day, Trump took to social media to describe the Federal Reserve as "Boneheads" and calling for an interest rate cut to "ZERO."

Trump has treated the anniversary with similar respect in the past.

In 2018, Trump spent the morning of 9/11 tweeting about text messages between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page and lamenting leadership at the Justice Department.

But in 2017, Trump tweeted only twice, and both times about 9/11.

Later Wednesday morning, Trump and the first lady will attend commemorative ceremonies at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. He is expected to lay a wreath, observe another moment of silence, and deliver remarks.

The anniversary of the terror attacks comes days after Trump scrapped a plan to meet with Taliban and Afghan leaders at Camp David, an effort to end America's longest war, after a Taliban car bomb killed a US soldier and 11 others last week.