Current mayor Zohran Mamdani was caught in a tense exchange with ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani at the 9/11 memorial service, after families asked the current politician to stay away.
The two were seen shaking hands without smiles on their faces at the 9/11 memorial, where Mamdani arrived this morning despite petitions from family members of those lost on 9/11 to stop his attendance. Giuliani, also a controversial figure after 9/11, subsequently joined the Trump squad as the President’s “personal lawyer” before having a meltdown on TV.
Presidential Attendance at 9/11 Memorial
President Trump did not attend today’s memorial service and instead spoke at the Pentagon. He had hoped to deliver remarks at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, but he ultimately decided not to go after being told he would not be permitted to give a speech.
An online petition has been launched by families of 9/11 victims, urging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to stay away from the 25th anniversary remembrance ceremony. However, Mamdani attended the event anyway, backed by Police Commissioner Tisch.
Former Presidents Gather for 25th Anniversary
Four former presidents are in Manhattan for the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks at the city’s ceremony at ground zero.
Former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Joe Biden could been seen mingling with attendees at the National Sept. 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan on Friday morning.
Vice President JD Vance is also attending the ceremony in New York, while President Donald Trump will attend an observance at the Pentagon.
Remembering 9/11 Victims and Their Legacy
On September 11, a total of 2,977 victims lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. About 9,000 people have died in the years following the attacks from 9/11 related illnesses, including various cancers.
For the first time, this year’s ceremony will add a silent moment to honor people who were exposed to the clouds of toxic dust released by the twin towers’ fiery collapse and have since died of cancer and other illnesses. Questions remain about how many people developed health problems linked to the dust.
25th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremonies
Friday’s milestone anniversary will bring memorial rituals — wreath-laying, flag-flying, moments of silence, vigils and readings of victims’ names — and volunteer projects in tribute to a day that about half of U.S. adults remember as the most historic event of their lifetime, according to a new poll.
For others it’s an occasion for private reflection — or, in many schools, education — about the attack that unfolded in a single morning but left nearly 3,000 dead and a decades-long trail of aftermath, from personal grief to far-flung wars.
Planned remembrances extend far beyond the attack sites, from beams of light projecting from New Hampshire’s Mount Washington to a stair climb at Mississippi State University’s football stadium to a ceremony at Honolulu’s 9/11 memorial.
