Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew widespread attention Friday after video showed the two smiling and appearing to laugh during the solemn 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11 terrorist attacks at Ground Zero.
The footage showed Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani standing beside one another while relatives of those killed in the attacks continued the traditional reading of victims’ names. As one name was heard over the loudspeaker, the two exchanged a few words before smiling and briefly appearing to laugh. They then turned their attention back toward the ceremony. The video does not reveal what was said between them, and there is no evidence that their reaction concerned the victim whose name was being read.
That distinction did little to prevent the moment from drawing criticism, particularly because the annual ceremony is intentionally focused on remembrance rather than politics. Family members read the names of the 2,977 people killed during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, along with the six people killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The ceremony began with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower. Additional moments of silence commemorated other major events from the attacks. This year, organizers added a seventh pause honoring those who later died from illnesses associated with toxic exposure following September 11.
Mamdani’s attendance was controversial before he even arrived. A petition backed by some relatives of September 11 victims had collected more than 100,000 signatures asking him to stay away. Critics cited several issues, including his political associations and his appointment of Ramzi Kassem as chief counsel. Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, a Guantanamo Bay detainee who pleaded guilty to war-crimes charges connected with the 2002 bombing of the French oil tanker MV Limburg. Al-Darbi was the brother-in-law of Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77.
Additional controversy developed after Kassem received a ceremonial pen associated with executive orders Mamdani signed ahead of the anniversary. The orders included a citywide remembrance initiative and measures concerning preparedness against future terrorist threats. City Hall said Kassem’s office had worked on the orders. Mamdani’s administration also launched a citywide digital tribute highlighting New Yorkers who participated in rescue and recovery efforts and released thousands of pages of city records concerning the attacks and their aftermath.
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Gov. George Pataki were among those who had urged Mamdani not to attend. Despite that dispute, Mamdani and Giuliani exchanged a greeting at Ground Zero before the ceremony. Mamdani remained at the memorial and had previously said he wanted the anniversary focused on victims, families and first responders.
The brief exchange between Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez ultimately became one of the most discussed moments surrounding a ceremony whose central purpose remained unchanged after 25 years: reading the names of the dead and remembering the consequences of a terrorist attack that transformed New York City and the United States.
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