Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were seen yukking it up during the somber reading of 9/11 victims at Ground Zero during the 25th anniversary service.
The New York City Democratic Socialists of America darlings appeared all smiles in a live feed of the ceremony, interspersed with shots of a man cradling his head in his arms and bawling his eyes out while friends and family read out the names of their departed loved ones from the podium.
Pointed reactions online to the apparent show of disrespect at the site where thousands of Americans were murdered by terrorists were quick to emerge.
“Why the f–k are these two laughing?!?” Meghan McCain, former “The View” host and daughter of late GOP Sen. John McCain, wrote on X.
“How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud? Why would you do so?” wondered Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz.
“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,” scolded NYC Councilwoman and Majority Whip Inna Vernikov.
The mayor’s very presence at the commemorative event stood in defiance to a campaign by aggrieved 9/11 victims’ relatives, who earlier this week hand-delivered him a petition urging him to steer clear of the ceremonies marking the attack.
A short time before his DSA comrade chuckled by his side, Mamdani was seen shaking hands in an awkward interaction with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who led the city on Sept. 11, 2001.
On Thursday night, Hizzoner took part in a Manhattan 9/11 memorial walk, with stops at Christian, Jewish and Muslim houses of worship — though Mamdani only joined for the final stop at an Islamic center.
Mamdani was criticized on the campaign trail for appearing to trivialize the terror attacks, fighting back tears in front of a cadre of Muslim leaders as he told the story of how his “Auntie” was personally victimized.
“I want to speak to the memory of my aunt, who stopped taking the subway after Sept. 11 because she did not feel safe in her hjiab,” then-candidate Mamdani intoned.