Giuliani Says Mamdani Should Stay Away From 9/11 Ceremony as Mayor Vows to Attend

Giuliani Says Mamdani Should Stay Away From 9/11 Ceremony as Mayor Vows to Attend
The 9/11 memorial ceremony is becoming the latest flashpoint in New York’s political culture war, with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani challenging Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s right to attend while Mamdani insists the commemoration must remain centered on those who died and those who responded.

Giuliani, who led New York during the 2001 attacks and became closely identified with the city’s response, said Mamdani’s planned attendance would offend him. “Having lost friends there and being very close to many of the families, it offends me that he’s coming,” Giuliani said, adding that Mamdani should skip the ceremony. His criticism went beyond the event itself, invoking Mamdani’s Muslim faith and drawing comparisons that critics characterized as an attack on the mayor’s identity rather than a debate over memorial protocol.

Mamdani, who attended 9/11 events last year before taking office, confirmed that he would appear at Friday’s main ceremony and other commemorations. He framed his participation as an institutional responsibility, saying he wanted the week to focus on “the families whose loved ones were stolen from them 25 years ago” and on first responders.

The two positions appeal to different claims of authenticity. Giuliani points to his personal history with the attacks, relationships with victims’ families and status as the mayor who guided the city through its immediate aftermath. Mamdani emphasizes his current office and a broader definition of remembrance, including the anti-Muslim backlash that followed 9/11.

Mamdani has also designated September 11 an annual “Day of Remembrance and Service” and ordered new emergency-preparedness measures. That effort contrasts with Giuliani’s exclusionary demand, turning attendance into a test of political belonging rather than a shared civic ritual. The dispute risks shifting attention from the nearly 3,000 victims and first responders the ceremony is intended to honor.