BS BULLETIN:
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani were captured laughing together during Friday’s solemn 9/11 commemoration at Ground Zero.
- The moment occurred during the portion of the ceremony in which family members were reading aloud the names of those killed in the attacks.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani were caught sharing a laugh Friday morning during one of New York City’s most solemn annual rituals — the reading of the names of those murdered on September 11.
DISGUSTING: AOC & Mamdani seen LAUGHING together as names of honored dead read at Ground Zero pic.twitter.com/uLBQE2Qcrs
— Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) September 11, 2026
Video posted by Real America’s Voice shows AOC and Mamdani standing together at the 9/11 Memorial ceremony at Ground Zero.
The two can be seen smiling, talking and then laughing together while the commemoration was underway.
The moment was captured during the ceremony’s lengthy reading of the victims’ names.
Real America’s Voice blasted the scene as “DISGUSTING,” writing:
“AOC & Mamdani seen LAUGHING together as names of honored dead read at Ground Zero.”
The video does not establish what the two Democrats were discussing or what prompted their laughter. But the setting makes for striking optics.
Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, which killed 2,977 people in New York, at the Pentagon and aboard Flight 93.
The Ground Zero ceremony began at 8:30 a.m. and once again centered on family members reading aloud the names of those killed in the 2001 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
The reading is interrupted only for designated moments of silence marking the attacks and collapse of the Twin Towers.
This year, organizers added a seventh moment of silence honoring those who have subsequently died from illnesses and injuries related to September 11.
Mamdani’s appearance at the ceremony was particularly noteworthy because the mayor has repeatedly emphasized the solemn nature of the anniversary.
Just days before the commemoration, Mamdani said the service should be about the victims rather than politics.
“It’s about those that were killed that day,” Mamdani told CBS New York. “It’s about their families. It’s about the lives that have been shattered.”
He called commemorating September 11 an “enormous responsibility.”
Mamdani’s administration has also established Sept. 11 as an annual citywide Day of Remembrance and Service.
“When we say, ‘Never forget,’ it is not an abstract phrase,” Mamdani said earlier this month. “It’s a deep and abiding commitment to remember the sacrifice made by the FDNY and other first responders.”
The mayor’s aides told The New York Times that Mamdani planned to remain at Friday’s ceremony until all of the victims’ names had been read.
AOC was among numerous elected officials and dignitaries attending the commemoration.
And there were moments of genuine political unity.
Mamdani was photographed shaking hands with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani despite Giuliani having sharply criticized his attendance beforehand.
But it was the footage of Mamdani and AOC laughing together during the name-reading ceremony that began circulating on X Friday morning.
Two of New York’s most prominent progressive politicians laughing together during a ceremony deliberately designed around solemn remembrance of the dead.
Viewers can decide for themselves what they think of that.
MY QUICK TAKE
You’re standing at Ground Zero on September 11 while families are reading the names of the dead.
There are approximately 364 other days on the calendar to work on your comedy act.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Real America’s Voice — Video of AOC and Mamdani during Ground Zero ceremony
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum — Official 25th anniversary commemoration
- New York Post — Live coverage of the 25th anniversary Ground Zero ceremony
- CBS New York — Mamdani says 9/11 ceremony should be about remembrance, not politics
- NYC Mayor’s Office — Mamdani establishes annual 9/11 Day of Remembrance and Service
