New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were filmed laughing together at Ground Zero on Friday as relatives of September 11 victims read aloud the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The two Democratic politicians were attending the official 25th anniversary memorial ceremony in Lower Manhattan alongside victims' relatives and officials from across the United States. Television cameras caught Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez talking to each other before breaking into laughter as families continued reading names one by one on stage.
Just seconds before the moment was captured, the broadcast had shown a relative of one of the victims crying. The footage does not reveal what the two politicians were discussing or what prompted their reaction, but the timing of the clip triggered a wave of criticism online, with many users calling the behavior disrespectful to the families of the dead.
Ted Cruz's Reaction
Among those who responded was Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. Writing on X, Cruz asked how anyone could laugh while the names of people murdered on September 11 were being read aloud, and questioned why they would do so.
The episode added to an already tense atmosphere surrounding Mamdani's presence at this year's memorial events.
Awkward Handshake With Giuliani
At the same ceremony, Mamdani had a brief and visibly awkward encounter with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The two men shook hands at Ground Zero, just days after publicly clashing over whether Mamdani should attend the anniversary at all.
Giuliani, who was mayor of New York when the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred, had told Newsmax that Mamdani's presence at the ceremony insulted him, arguing that the current mayor was bothering the people the day is meant to honor: the victims' families. Giuliani went further, accusing Mamdani of standing in direct support of the movement that killed their children, a claim that itself drew strong reactions.
170,000 Pages on Toxic Air Released
Amid the controversy, Mamdani's administration released more than 170,000 pages of documents concerning air quality in Lower Manhattan after the collapse of the Twin Towers. The records, kept out of public reach for years, include information on the dangers posed by toxic particles that blanketed the area after the attacks.
According to the material that came to light, city officials at the time knew of serious health risks even as the public was being assured the air was safe. The issue carries particular political weight because Giuliani was leading the city at the time, and the handling of air quality information in the aftermath has been the subject of dispute for years.
Over 100,000 Signatures Against His Attendance
Mamdani's presence at the ceremony had drawn objections even before September 11 arrived. Victims' relatives and other citizens backed an online petition calling on the mayor to stay away from the memorial events, which gathered more than 100,000 signatures.
Former New York Governor George Pataki added his voice to the calls. Mamdani made clear he would not be absent, saying he wanted attention focused on the families of the people who lost their loved ones 25 years ago in the terrible terrorist attack of September 11.
Paladino's Bin Laden Comment
Republican New York City Council member Vicki Paladino launched a harsh attack on Mamdani, publicly demanding that he not appear at Ground Zero. Speaking on Laura Ingraham's Fox News program, Paladino argued that Mamdani's presence at the ceremony would send a symbolic message to Osama bin Laden that New York had been conquered.
Paladino also linked her criticism to the presence of Ramzi Kassem, the city's chief legal counsel, at a recent signing of executive orders related to September 11. She said she was sick of the whole situation and added that New Yorkers should see through what she called an absolute farce being sold to them.
Ceremonial Pen Controversy
Separate criticism centered on one of the ceremonial pens used to sign two executive orders tied to the anniversary. Mamdani handed one of the pens to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who then passed it to Kassem.
Kassem had previously worked on the legal defense of Ahmed al-Darbi, an Al Qaeda member who pleaded guilty to charges tied to plots against commercial ships. Al-Darbi was the brother-in-law of Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which struck the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
City Hall said Kassem took part in the signing as part of his official duties and, as a New Yorker who was in the city on the day of the attacks, had a personal interest in the initiatives. Despite the calls to stay away and the backlash that preceded it, Mamdani ultimately attended Ground Zero, where the 25th anniversary was marked both by remembrance of the nearly 3,000 people killed and by a sharp political confrontation over the mayor's presence.
