# Two 9/11 moments, one political brawl

> A smile at Ground Zero and closed eyes at the Pentagon turned the 25th anniversary into a partisan fight over a few seconds of footage.
- Title: Two 9/11 moments, one political brawl · Newsweek | Shortify
- Summary: A smile at Ground Zero and closed eyes at the Pentagon turned the 25th anniversary into a partisan fight over a few seconds of footage. On a day meant for…
- Keywords: 9/11, politics, mamdani, trump, media, Two, moments, one, political, brawl, Newsweek
- Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/trump-mamdani-and-aoc-face-criticism-over-reactions-to-9-11-commemorations-12433641
- Published: 2026-09-11T20:41:59+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: 9/11, politics, mamdani, trump, media
## Three leaders, one backlash
Trump, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez all drew criticism Friday for how they behaved at 25th anniversary 9/11 ceremonies.
## A smile at Ground Zero
Footage appeared to show Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez smiling and laughing in Lower Manhattan while the names of the dead were read aloud.
## Republicans pile on
Ted Cruz, Nancy Mace and Meghan McCain all shared the same Fox News clip, saying anyone laughing there had no business in public service.

> How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud?
## A Republican defends them
Michael Ragusa, a former FDNY EMT who ran for City Council as a Republican, stood beside them for two hours and said the clip was just AOC greeting the mayor.

> I was next to them for 2 hours. They were very respectful and stayed the entire time.
## Mamdani was already contested
Some victims' relatives had asked him to skip the anniversary. Governor Kathy Hochul defended his attendance, and he was photographed shaking hands with Rudy Giuliani.

> The mayor of New York City will be there, as he should be.
## Trump's closed eyes
At the Pentagon ceremony, TV cameras caught the president sitting with his eyes shut for stretches, and social media accused him of sleeping through it.
## The White House hits back
A spokesman said Trump was listening solemnly and called the sleeping claims lies. Defenders noted the footage proves nothing and that he had a late political event the night before.

> Anyone ridiculously claiming the president was asleep is lying.
## Sleepy Joe comes around
The accusation landed hard because Trump spent years attacking Joe Biden's age and alertness, nicknaming him Sleepy Joe.
## Remembrance as battleground
Ground Zero bans political speeches; the Pentagon let Trump and Pete Hegseth speak. Nearly 3,000 died in 2001, but the day's story became a few seconds of video.
## Key takeaway

On a day meant for the dead, a few frames of video became the story, and both sides picked the clip that suited them.