“How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud? Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) asked Friday, reacting to video showing two New York Democratic Socialists - Mayor Zohran Mamdani (NYC) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – laughing and smiling at a ceremony honoring those killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack by radical Islamists.
Video of the jovial exchange between the two far-left New Yorkers while the names of the nearly 3,000 victims of the terrorist attack were being read was caught on camera by national news broadcasts and quickly went viral, prompting widespread outrage.
Absolutely disgusting:
Socialists Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Zohran Mamdani spotted smiling and laughing as names of 9/11 victims are read at Ground Zero.
Shocking but not surprising. pic.twitter.com/n5LHO5t3rF— Ben Petersen (@bennpetersen) September 11, 2026
Mayor Mamdani’s presence at the 9/11 event had been controversial even before the video went viral, as The Washington Times notes:
“The mayor’s attendance had already drawn sustained criticism in the days leading up to Friday’s ceremony. A petition launched by 9/11 families urging Mr. Mamdani to skip the commemoration gathered more than 100,000 signatures. Charles Wolf, who lost his wife in the attacks, said at a City Hall news conference, ‘This mayor is not serving us. He’s serving himself.’
“New York City Council Member Joann Ariola, who joined relatives in delivering the petition to City Hall, said the mayor ‘was too cowardly to come out and meet the families himself.’”
The petition cites Mayor Mamdani’s appointment of Ramzi Kassem as the city's chief legal counsel. Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, an al Qaeda operative who pleaded guilty to war-crimes charges, Fox News reports, quoting the petition:
"For 9/11 families, this is not simply a public ceremony—it is a deeply personal day of mourning. The presence of individuals whose words or associations are perceived as conflicting with the solemn purpose of the event risks detracting from that focus and causing additional pain."
“How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud? Why would you do so?” Sen. Cruz wrote on X.com, remarking on a video post of the exchange between Ocasio-Cortez and Mayor Mamdani.
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
