New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing calls from Republican lawmakers to abstain from the upcoming Sept. 11 memorial ceremonies, with critics citing his past rhetoric and associations as disqualifying. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., representing New York City suburbs, stated that Mamdani should not attend the memorial, asserting that "most New Yorkers agree that he should not be there." He added that the families of 9/11 victims and first responders also believe Mamdani should not participate.
Lawler described Mamdani as a "vile antisemite" and claimed the mayor has associated with individuals who believe the United States deserved the Sept. 11 attacks. He specifically mentioned Hasan Piker, a far-left activist whose past comments on the attacks have drawn scrutiny, and noted that many supporters of Mamdani's administration share similar views. Lawler also pointed to Mamdani's praise for Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who has been linked to radical Islam and was named as an alleged co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Additionally, Mamdani has endorsed candidates like Aber Kawas, who reportedly described 9/11 as an attack within the context of U.S. capitalism, racism, white supremacy, and Islamophobia.
An online petition, signed by over 100,000 people and initiated by family members of 9/11 victims, has also called for Mamdani's absence from the 25th-anniversary remembrance. The petition highlighted Mamdani's alleged endorsement of candidates who expressed sympathy for individuals plotting attacks, including an attempt to bomb a Manhattan synagogue.
Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, echoed Lawler's sentiments, stating that Mamdani should not attend Sept. 11 memorial events "until he can...actually call out terror groups around the world for what they want to do to this country, and that includes Hamas." While Hamas was not responsible for the 9/11 attacks, for which Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility, Pfluger drew a parallel to Hamas's role in the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel. Pfluger referred to Mamdani and his allies as "a cancer to the freedoms that we fought for" and stated they do not represent American values.
Both Lawler and Pfluger made their remarks on the sidelines of the 2026 GOP midterm convention in Dallas. Mamdani's office recently launched an online portal to provide public access to approximately 170,000 pages of local government records concerning Sept. 11, which reportedly suggest city officials may have misled the public about air quality following the attacks.
Mamdani himself has previously condemned the comments made by Hasan Piker regarding the Sept. 11 attacks. The New York City mayor's office was contacted by Fox News Digital for comment.