Gander, Newfoundland — a town synonymous with Canada-U.S. friendship — faces deep ambivalence ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. After the attacks, Gander residents sheltered nearly 7,000 stranded passengers, inspiring the musical "Come from Away." Beulah Cooper, 85, whose bond with New Yorker Hannah O'Rourke anchors the show, calls current tensions "hurtful." Mayor Percy Farwell acknowledges the "strong undercurrent of hurt" but insists the commemoration honors human connections, not government disputes. "We're polite... until you betray us," he said of U.S. trade threats and annexation rhetoric under President Trump.

Prime Minister Mark Carney recently called the U.S. a danger to Canadian sovereignty. U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra is slated to attend Friday's ceremony. Stranded passenger Kevin Tuerff, 60, founder of Pay It Forward 9/11, said he is "embarrassed" by U.S. rhetoric: "Canadians didn't just help America on 9-11. They've helped us in multiple wars we dragged them into." The town's conflicted mood mirrors a quarter-century shift from global sympathy for America to open fracture with its closest ally.