New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have drawn significant online criticism for appearing to share moments of levity at the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan. The incident occurred during the solemn reading of victims' names, a ceremony commemorating the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
A television feed showed the mayor and congresswoman seemingly grinning and laughing as they spoke, while nearby a mourner was seen sobbing. The conversation between Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez was inaudible.
Critics, including political figures and commentators, lambasted the pair's demeanor. Steve Guest, a former staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, described the scene as "disgraceful," noting, "AOC and Mamdani look happy." Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., questioned the laughter, asking, "Why the f--- are these two laughing?"
Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, R-Brighton Beach, expressed outrage, stating, "After thousands of families of victims of terror beg Mamdani not to show up, he stands there and laughs while families weep. This is NYC’s Mayor." Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., called the mayor "Jihad Mamdani" and asserted that the two politicians "do not mourn this country, they mock it."
Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, stated, "As the names of Americans murdered on September 11th are read aloud at Ground Zero, AOC and Mamdani are laughing and smiling together. There is a time and a place for politics. This isn’t it. Ground Zero is sacred ground."
However, Michael Ragusa, reportedly head of former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's security, claimed the video was taken out of context. "The videos of [them] laughing are not true. I was standing next to them the whole time," Ragusa tweeted. "The camera just caught her greeting him hello. Multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me. Republicans and Democrats."
Mamdani had previously faced criticism from some 9/11 victims' families over his attendance at the memorial, with a petition urging him to stay away garnering thousands of signatures.
At other points during the ceremony, Mamdani was observed standing somberly between New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and New York First Gentleman William Hochul Jr. It remains unclear what the congresswoman and mayor were discussing at the moment captured by the camera.