Why Mamdani and AOC's 4-second 9/11 memorial moment sparked backlash- Explained

A four-second clip of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez smiling at a 9/11 ceremony has triggered a huge political row.

Updated on: Sep 13, 2026, 00:09:43 IST

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A brief moment between New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the 9/11 memorial ceremony has sparked a huge row online, with critics and defenders clashing over what really happened.

Why Mamdani and AOC's moment cause a row

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were caught on camera on Friday during the ceremony marking 25 years since the 9/11 terror attacks.

The two were seen smiling and greeting each other while the names of the victims were being read out loud. The clip lasted only few seconds.

Here is the video:

The moment looked bad on TV because the feed cut straight from a young man crying at the memorial to Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez appearing to grin and laugh.

This split-second switch is what set off the row online.

What critics said

Many Republicans were furious. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reposted the clip and wrote, “How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud?”

Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, also reacted strongly, saying, “Why the f**k are these two laughing?!?”

Councilwoman Inna Vernikov said, “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.”

Rep. Randy Fine called the mayor "Jihad Mamdani" and said, “They do not mourn this country, they mock it. Have some damn respect.”

Rep. Wesley Hunt said, “As the names of Americans murdered on September 11th are read aloud at Ground Zero, AOC and Mamdani are laughing and smiling together. There is a time and a place for politics. This isn't it. Ground Zero is sacred ground.” He also said, "September 11 is not a photo op, it is not a networking event."

Why others say it's being taken out of context

Not everyone agreed with the criticism. Michael Ragusa, who was Rudy Giuliani's head of security, said he was standing right next to Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez the entire time. He wrote on X, “The videos of [them] laughing are not true. I was standing next to them the whole time. The camera just caught her greeting him hello. Multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me. Republicans and Democrats."

Former Democratic New York State Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou also defended the two leaders. She called the criticism "ridiculous talking points" and pointed out that Mamdani “stayed for every name and even stayed after to talk to families for 45 minutes.”

Niou added that Ocasio-Cortez's interaction with Mamdani “was just when she walked up to him and said hello.”

The ceremony was held to mark 25 years since the terror attacks on the World Trade Center. As part of the tradition, the names of all the victims who died in the attacks were read aloud at the memorial site in lower Manhattan. Several political leaders attended the event, including Mamdani, Ocasio-Cortez, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, and New York first gentleman William Hochul Jr.

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