Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told current Mayor Zohran Mamdani, "I prayed for you," during a handshake at a 9/11 memorial service, according to a lip-reading expert. The exchange, described as tense but civil, occurred Friday at the National September 11 Memorial.
Jeremy Freeman, a UK-based lip-reading expert, interpreted Giuliani's words to Mamdani as they shook hands. Giuliani, a devout Roman Catholic, also reportedly said, "Good job. OK."
Body language expert and behavior analyst Traci Brown suggested the interaction carried underlying tension. Brown observed Giuliani's eyebrows raised in recognition, but noted his frown deepened during the handshake, indicating dissatisfaction. Mamdani, according to Brown, leaned in seeking connection but later appeared less comfortable, adopting a confident posture with a hand on his hip.
The encounter followed public comments by Giuliani suggesting Mamdani held views that questioned the nature of the 9/11 attacks. In a Newsmax interview, Giuliani claimed Mamdani "doesn't agree that September 11 was an Islamic terrorist attack on the United States of America" and stated that Mamdani's attendance at memorials "offends me."
Mamdani, in turn, had previously made a veiled reference to Giuliani's leadership during the attacks. In a statement released as City Hall declassified documents on air quality risks post-9/11, Mamdani said, "People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air." He did not explicitly name Giuliani.