President Donald Trump has publicly criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for their conduct at the 25th anniversary memorial service for the 9/11 terror attacks. The two Democratic officials were observed laughing during the solemn ceremony held at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.
Trump, speaking to reporters in Ireland, described the behavior as "terrible" and "inappropriate," particularly given the sensitive nature of the event where victims' names were being read. "The fact that they were laughing together at a very important part of the ceremony was inappropriate," Trump stated. Video footage circulating on social media showed Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez laughing while mourners stood in silence and a relative of a victim was seen weeping.
The incident occurred amidst increased scrutiny for Mayor Mamdani. He had faced calls from some 9/11 victims' groups to abstain from the annual ceremony, which he ultimately chose to attend. Mamdani had also drawn criticism for presenting a ceremonial pen from a 9/11 remembrance event to an attorney who had previously represented a convicted al-Qaeda member, whose brother was involved in the 9/11 attacks. A petition signed by over 100,000 people, including former New York Governor George Pataki, had urged Mamdani to stay away from the commemoration.
When questioned about the calls for him to skip the event, Mamdani had previously stated his intention to attend, emphasizing a desire for the focus to remain on the families impacted by the 25-year-old terrorist attacks.