New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, were caught laughing together Friday during the 25th anniversary ceremony at ground zero as relatives of Sept. 11 victims read the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks. Footage from Fox 5 New York also showed a man elsewhere in the crowd cradling his head and crying during the reading of the names. The network’s broadcast did not establish that the two moments occurred in the same shot or at the same instant, and there is no indication Mr. Mamdani or Ms. Ocasio-Cortez were laughing in response to any grieving family member.
The mayor’s attendance had already drawn sustained criticism in the days leading up to Friday’s ceremony. A petition launched by 9/11 families urging Mr. Mamdani to skip the commemoration gathered more than 100,000 signatures. Charles Wolf, who lost his wife in the attacks, said at a City Hall news conference, “This mayor is not serving us. He’s serving himself.”
New York City Council Member Joann Ariola, who joined relatives in delivering the petition to City Hall, said the mayor “was too cowardly to come out and meet the families himself.” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul rejected the effort to keep Mr. Mamdani away, saying, “The mayor of New York City will be there, as he should be.”
Mr. Mamdani’s presence at 9/11 events this week had already been a flashpoint. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Gov. George Pataki were among the prominent Republicans who said Mr. Mamdani should not attend, citing his appointment of Ramzi Kassem as the city’s chief counsel. Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, an al Qaeda detainee who pleaded guilty before a U.S. military commission to terrorism-related charges. Asked about Mr. Giuliani’s remarks, Mr. Mamdani told reporters, “I don’t have much more to add.”
Despite the tension, Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Giuliani were seen shaking hands before Friday’s lower Manhattan ceremony began.
Vice President J.D. Vance attended Friday’s commemoration; President Trump did not.
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