Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his successor, Zohran Mamdani, encountered each other at the 9/11 remembrance ceremony on Friday morning, engaging in a brief handshake and exchange of words. The moment occurred at the Memorial Plaza at Ground Zero during the 25th anniversary observance.
A professional lip reader, Nicola Hickling, interpreted Giuliani, 82, as saying to Mamdani, 34, "I'm praying for you, it's been a long time." Mamdani, whose face was not fully visible, reportedly offered a reply before moving on to greet other attendees.
This seemingly cordial greeting followed a public spat between the two former mayors earlier in the week. Giuliani had expressed offense at Mamdani's attendance at the memorial service, stating that it "offended" him and that Mamdani's presence "disturb[ed] the people who are the most important people at that celebration." Giuliani, speaking to Newsmax, claimed Mamdani "stands in direct support of the movement that killed their children."
Mamdani responded to the criticism by releasing hundreds of thousands of previously unseen records. These documents appeared to suggest that Giuliani's administration was aware of toxic air quality dangers following the September 11 attacks.
Giuliani also shook hands with Vice President JD Vance as they arrived at the ceremony. Their conversation was inaudible.
The 9/11 attacks on September 11, 2001, saw al-Qaeda terrorists hijack four planes, crashing two into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and the fourth into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew fought back. At least 2,977 people died in the attacks.
Former President George W. Bush, who was in office during the attacks, attended the New York City ceremony along with former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. Other officials were at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. Former President Donald Trump delivered a speech at the Pentagon instead of attending the Manhattan service, reportedly opting out after being denied permission to speak at the museum.
Mamdani had faced criticism from Giuliani and others, including former Gov. George Pataki and some 9/11 victims' relatives, regarding past remarks made by his political associates about the attacks. Mamdani, who was an elementary school student in New York on 9/11, stated his love for the city and country and his desire for the anniversary to focus on victims' families, first responders, and New Yorkers who aided each other after the "horrific act of terror."