President Donald Trump has publicly criticized Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for appearing to laugh during a 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero. Trump stated that the behavior was "terrible" and "inappropriate," particularly during the solemn reading of victims' names.
A video circulating online showed Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani engaging in what appeared to be a lighthearted exchange while the names of those killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing were being read aloud. The moment drew swift condemnation from critics on social media, who accused the pair of disrespect.
"There is a time and a place for politics. This isn’t it. Ground Zero is sacred ground," wrote Representative Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, on X, formerly Twitter. Meghan McCain also questioned the interaction on X, asking, "Why the f--- are these two laughing?"
New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, a Republican, criticized Mamdani's presence, noting that he attended the ceremony despite a petition urging him to stay away, which had garnered over 110,000 signatures from victims' families. Vernikov stated, "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."
However, Michael Ragusa, who was with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's entourage, disputed the interpretation of the video. Ragusa stated on X that he was standing next to Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez and that the video did not accurately depict them laughing about the ceremony. "The camera just caught her greeting him hello," Ragusa said, adding that other politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, were also seen laughing and joking nearby.
Mamdani was observed to be somber at other points during the ceremony. The specific content of his conversation with Ocasio-Cortez remains unclear.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the 2001 attacks. The 25th anniversary commemoration took place at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City.