The video showed a moment that no seasoned politician — or at least not one who loved America — would have let happen.
They would instinctively know that yucking it up at a somber ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11 would be the height of indecency and impropriety. Yet there they were, two prominent Democratic socialists, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, laughing and grinning as the names of the almost 3,000 victims killed by radical Islamic terrorists were read out loud.
As our Kyle Becker reported, it was a sick scene:
Mamdani and AOC are spotted laughing with each other as people cry while the names of those who died are read during the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. pic.twitter.com/Ib5lm57fmV
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 11, 2026
Listen, I’ve been at plenty of somber occasions, and it’s not unheard of to make a joke under your breath to lighten the tension. But if you’re a decent person, you do it quietly, respectfully, and you don’t start laughing during an emotionally charged portion of the event where they’re talking about the tragic deaths of innocent people.
You just don’t do it.
President Donald Trump, fresh off the GOP midterm convention where he blasted the extremist Democrats and socialists, noticed — and he was not impressed.
🚨 NOW: Donald Trump is FURIOUS after Ugandan Mayor Mamdani and AOC laughed while 9/11 victims names were read
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 13, 2026
“It’s TERRIBLE — the fact they laughed together in a VERY important part of the ceremony was inappropriate!”
I think Mamdani should resign. But we all know he will…
🚨 NOW: Donald Trump is FURIOUS after Ugandan Mayor Mamdani and AOC laughed while 9/11 victims names were read
“It’s TERRIBLE — the fact they laughed together in a VERY important part of the ceremony was inappropriate!”
Eric Daugherty, who has a large social media presence and is Chief Content Officer at Florida’s Voice, continued in the above tweet with his own conclusion:
I think Mamdani should resign. But we all know he will CLING to power and keep pushing his Islamist propaganda
New York is being overrun with foreign voters, which is the prime reason Mamdani got elected!
WAKE UP AND STOP FORGETTING 9/11 🙏🏻
As our Jennifer Oliver O’Connell wrote, the reactions to Mamdani and AOC’s antics were swift and brutal, as they should have been.
"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.
"There is a time and a place for politics. This isn’t it. Ground Zero is sacred ground," Hunt added. "September 11 is not a photo op, it is not a networking event."
Of course, leftists close ranks when they are exposed, but the most laughable defense came, strangely, from Michael Ragusa, a former Republican candidate for New York City Council who once provided executive protection for former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He said the viral moment never happened:
The videos of @NYCMayor and @AOC laughing are not true. I was standing next to them the whole time. The camera just caught her greeting him hello. Multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me. Republicans and Democrats. pic.twitter.com/tgiWbWZQgd
— Michael Ragusa (@themikeragu) September 11, 2026
Sorry to burst your bubble, Michael, but the moment is on tape. You should know that just because you didn’t personally witness something doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
As The Byrds famously sang in 1965, there is a proper time for things:
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
The reading aloud of the names of the 9/11 victims was not the time to laugh; it was the time to weep. Leftists will insist that it was just a quick, misunderstood moment, but we know better.
AOC’s rapturous smile and Mamdani’s devious grin had no place in that time and place, and I don’t think it’s a bridge too far to say that it reveals everything we need to know about them.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats desperately try to stop it.
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