NEW YORK (VINnews) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are facing criticism after video showed the two appearing to laugh and smile while family members were reading the names of victims at Friday’s ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Among those criticizing the moment was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who wrote on X that Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez “seem to be having the time of their lives while everyone else is paying respects to the deceased.”
Mamdani and AOC seem to be having the time of their lives while everyone else is paying respects to the deceased. https://t.co/nG3PhtTbK3
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) September 11, 2026
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also criticized the two over the footage, questioning how they could be laughing while the names of those killed in the attacks were being read.
How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud?
Why would you do so? https://t.co/gOec2hA8Lo
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 11, 2026
Meghan McCain was among other prominent figures who condemned the moment on social media, while Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., also criticized Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez.
The ceremony at Ground Zero was attended by Mamdani, Ocasio-Cortez and numerous current and former national and New York officials. Vice President JD Vance joined former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden at the memorial.
Family members read aloud the names of the 2,977 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, along with the six people killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The name reading lasted about four hours.
The 25th anniversary ceremony also included a new moment of silence honoring the thousands of people who have died from illnesses linked to exposure after the attacks.
AOC and Jihadi Mamdani should not be anywhere near that hallowed ground.
They do not mourn this country — they mock it.
Have some damn respect. https://t.co/RJ9B3bFF9A
— Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) September 11, 2026
Mamdani’s attendance had already drawn controversy before the ceremony, with some 9/11 victims’ families calling on him not to attend. He nevertheless participated in the memorial, saying the anniversary should focus on remembering those who were killed and the first responders who died.
The footage of Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez became one of the most widely discussed moments from Friday’s ceremony, with critics questioning the appropriateness of their apparent laughter during the reading of the victims’ names.
The ceremony itself remained centered on the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks and the lasting toll on survivors, first responders and their families. More than 600 New York firefighters have died from 9/11-related illnesses since the attacks, according to FDNY figures cited by Reuters.