Mamdani Smiles Through the 9/11 Roll Call — New York’s Dead Deserve Better

“By Patrick Lancier”

A brief, silent clip from Friday’s 25th-anniversary ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan showed New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both Democrats, smiling and appearing to laugh while victims’ names were being read.

The television feed, about four seconds long, had no audio of their words. It cut from a mourner sobbing at the memorial to the two officials. The date was 11 September 2026. The place was Ground Zero. The occasion was the reading of the names of those murdered in the jihadist attacks of 11 September 2001.

The pictures drew immediate criticism. Sen. Ted Cruz asked how anyone laughs while those names are read aloud. Rep. Wesley Hunt said Ground Zero is sacred ground and that September 11 is not a photo op or a networking event. Meghan McCain asked why they were laughing. City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov said families of terror victims had begged Mamdani not to attend, and that he stood there and laughed while families wept.

Families had already urged the mayor to stay away from the ceremony. He went.

CNN reported that the two were seen greeting each other with smiles and that the live feed carried no sound of the exchange. Michael Ragusa, identified as former security for Rudolph Giuliani, said he stood next to them throughout, that the camera caught a hello, and that videos of them “laughing” were not true. Some said they stayed respectful overall.

What cannot be disputed on the tape is the cut itself: from a mourner in tears to two politicians smiling as the names of the dead were read at Ground Zero.

Sources

1. Fox News — AOC, Mamdani interaction caught on cam at 9/11 memorial sparks online fury (Charles Creitz, 11 Sept. 2026)
2. Daily Mail — AOC and Mamdani seen laughing together while names of dead 9/11 victims are read out (11 Sept. 2026)
3. CNN — Brief interaction between NYC Mayor Mamdani and AOC at 9/11 ceremony stirs debate (Emma Tucker, 11 Sept. 2026)
4. Washington Examiner — AOC and Mamdani take heat for apparently laughing as 9/11 victims’ names are read (Claire Carter, 11 Sept. 2026)