Trump rips ‘terrible’ Mamdani and AOC over viral ‘giggling’ moment during sacred 9/11 ceremony

WASHINGTON, DC: Presdient Donald Trump has thrown himself into the growing Republican uproar over a viral moment featuring New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the 9/11 memorial ceremony.

They were filmed apparently grinning during the ceremony’s live broadcast, as the feed alternated between their reactions and emotional scenes of mourners grieving as relatives and friends read the names of loved ones lost in the attacks from the podium.

The moment has drawn Republican backlash, with critics accusing the two New York Democrats of laughing inappropriately during the solemn ceremony.

Trump calls out Mamdani and AOC over ‘inappropriate’ moment

The 80-year-old president, on a two-day visit to Ireland, spoke to reporters before departing the country when one asked: “When you see that video of AOC and Mamdani laughing at the 9/11 ceremony in New York, what were your thoughts?”

“I think it’s terrible. It’s not a place to be laughing, especially in that case. I thought it was terrible,” he said. “The fact that they were laughing together in a very important part of the ceremony was inappropriate.”

Trump’s comments came after a long list of Republicans reprimanded Mamdani and AOC over the apparent display. “How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud?” Sen Ted Cruz (R-Texas) posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Posting a screenshot of Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez smiling alongside one another, Rep Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) wrote, “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.”

"This level of disrespect is incomprehensible. As the names of Americans murdered on September 11th are read aloud at Ground Zero, AOC and Mamdani are laughing and smiling together," Rep Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) wrote on X.

Mamdani’s another viral moment at the ceremony

Mamdani and AOC’s "grinning" moment wasn’t the only sight that caught public attention at the 9/11 ceremony.

In another clip that quickly went viral, the current NYC mayor was seen sharing an awkward handshake with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani at Ground Zero. 

The encounter drew added attention because, ahead of the ceremony, Giuliani had publicly objected to Mamdani’s presence and accused the city’s first Muslim mayor of wanting his religion “to dominate us.”

In a livestream afterward, Giuliani, a Republican who was in office during the September 11 attacks, recounted his interaction with Mamdani.

“Now, I shook hands with Mamdani,” Giuliani told Tony Carbonetti, his former chief of staff. “Did you wash them afterward?” Carbonetti replied.

“No,” Giuliani said. “I am not, at a ceremony like this…I am not gonna cause any ridiculous anything.”

Giuliani said he believed he had extended his hand first, though he acknowledged Mamdani may have initiated the handshake.

“So, we shook hands, and I said to him, ‘I pray for you,’ and he said, ‘Thank you,’ and we just went our ways,” he said.