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New York City Mayor Mamdani and former Mayor Giuliani exchange brief greetings at 9/11 memorial amid controversy over attendance
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city's first Muslim mayor, engaged in a brief exchange of pleasantries with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani during the 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center site. The event, held in lower Manhattan, saw families, mourners, and politicians gathering to honor the victims of the 2001 attacks. Mamdani, who was nine years old during the attacks, has faced significant criticism from right-wing figures, including Giuliani, who urged him to avoid the ceremony. Giuliani claimed Mamdani's presence 'offends' him and suggested he was 'disturbing the people who are the most important people at that celebration,' adding that Mamdani 'stands in direct support of the movement that killed their children.' The city's first Muslim mayor has steered commemorative events to focus on families, victims, first responders, and the city's recovery. His office released thousands of never-before-seen documents revealing that Giuliani's administration and subsequent mayors knew about the dangers of toxic aftermath from the attacks despite assuring the public the area was safe. The ceremony included a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane hit the North Tower, followed by additional moments to mark other key events of the attacks. All living former presidents attended the Manhattan ceremony, alongside Vice President JD Vance, though President Donald Trump did not attend, reportedly because he was barred from delivering remarks. The memorial also introduced a seventh moment of silence to honor those who died from illnesses related to the attacks, with over 9,000 people having died from 9/11-related illnesses, including 600 firefighters, surpassing the number of fatalities from the attacks themselves. The newly released records, comprising over 170,000 pages, detailed how officials knew of the health risks from Ground Zero toxins but repeatedly assured the public the air was safe to breathe. Over two decades, thousands of first responders and New Yorkers developed illnesses linked to the toxic debris, including lung disease, neurological conditions, and cancer. The World Trade Center Health Program reports that 9,000 people have died from 9/11-related illnesses, highlighting the ongoing health crisis stemming from the attacks.
