Sept. 11, 2026
NY's Most Prominent Politicians Being Ripped for Laughs During 9/11 Ceremony
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RSS Feed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are being heavily criticized after they were seen on television smiling and laughing as the names of victims were being read at Ground Zero. Even worse, the shot just before them was of a young man sobbing at the memorial. Mamdani was already facing sharp criticism from 9/11 victims for attending the ceremony and had spent the weeks leading up to the event trying to mend fences with firefighters and first responders. There was one unlikely defender of Mamdani and AOC, an ex-aide to New York City’s former mayor Rudy Giuliani, who claims it was just a friendly greeting between the two.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Friday, September the 11th, and this looks really, really bad. Yes, a lot of people asked for Mayor Mamdani not to go to the 9-11 ceremony, and there's video out now that is not going to help this debate. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. I don't want to use the word caught. They were seen, Robes, in possibly the worst possible way at the ceremony.
00:00:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think maybe a good way to put it, a fair way to put it, it was a very unfortunate edit or camera juxtaposition. So yes, they've got plenty of cameras that are focused on family members and the names that are being read aloud as we watch the ceremony. And then they have cameras on some of the dignitaries who are in the crowd. And so unfortunately, I believe this initially, it was C-SPAN, I believe, where people have been picking up this edit. But you've got a family member just sobbing as names are being read. And the camera cuts straight to, yes, Mayor Mamdani and AOC. And it looks like they're laughing and greeting each other and smiling. It doesn't look like they are doing that. There is laughter. There are smiles.
00:01:27
Speaker 1: Um, okay here. We were only alerted to this because I looked, took a quick look at social media and saw his name trending number one and thought, oh my goodness, what's going on?
00:01:38
Speaker 2: What's happened?
00:01:39
Speaker 1: What has happened? And so this is, as you can imagine, Robes catching fire. And it's, the usual suspects are chiming in left and right. And the type of rhetoric you can imagine is out there, Robes.
00:01:55
Speaker 2: This.
00:01:56
Speaker 1: And we can get into what we think about this video and how it all looks and what's appropriate and whatnot. But as far as helping him with a particular narrative that is hurting him in our city, this destroyed any good work he might have done in the past week.
00:02:13
Speaker 2: Yes. I think most people know that Mayor Mamdani is the first Muslim mayor of New York City. He was just nine years old, by the way, when 9-11 happened. And For obvious reasons, there were plenty of folks who did not want Mayor Mamdani to be in attendance. There are some certain ties, but certainly his Muslim faith. And there were as many as, what, 113,000 signatures that victims, family members, and folks were able to amass to try and convince him to stop him from coming to the ceremonies before all of this.
00:02:49
Speaker 1: Let's be fair, yes. His Muslim faith is one thing, but he has said some things. He's made some comments that didn't sit well with some folks. And, Rose, the biggest thing lately was who he hired to be his chief counsel for the city, a man, Ramzi Qasim, I believe is the name. But he's the chief counsel of the city, and he once represented an al-Qaeda member who was actually related to someone who was actually one of the 9-11 hijackers. That is a true story. That is true. So, you know, you add some of those things up, his inability sometimes in some people's minds to strongly condemn, like just flat out condemn what happened on 9-11 and all the hijack. So it's a collection of things, Robes, that you can still listen to, listen to his explanation, sit down and can reason about. But if you had any of that stuff in the back of your mind, and then on today of all days, Robes, this, I don't care what you say, it looks terrible.
00:03:45
Speaker 2: It does look terrible. And look, the New York Times had just put out this big article on Mamdani and what he had done in the days and weeks leading up to 9-11 to try and bridge this gap, to try and repair any distrust or anger even directed at him for being a part of these ceremonies. He was going to firehouses. He was meeting with victims' families. He was listening. He wasn't speaking. He was taking it in. He was hearing some of these folks being honored and talked about. And he was trying to, yes, extend an olive branch, so to speak. Now in, what was it, a three, four-second shot snippet? All of that is, if he had made any inroads, it's all undone. The headlines are brutal, yes, from conservative folks on Twitter and certainly just throughout. But things like, why the F are these two laughing? That was from Meghan McCain. John McCain's daughter. These two always show us who they really are. There are some brutal headlines just saying laughing while 9-11 victims are crying. And that is what it looks like, unfortunately.
00:04:56
Speaker 1: And this is a pool camera. I have rights. So I think this is how it always goes. So folks, you have just one network, one camera. that goes out there, and it serves as the camera for all networks. You can pick up this feed. So what I'm saying is that whoever was behind the camera and whoever was directing the show didn't have any or shouldn't have had, Robes, any left or right leanings. They were just doing a job, and they took a shot, Robes, which was one you would think. If you're a director, you have an image, well, names are being read of someone crying. That's a very powerful image. You have an image of two of the most famous names in politics standing together. You would want to take that shot. It just happens to be this, and it was even a beautiful fade. And Robes, these moments, that's one time, I don't care what, you need to shut the hell up. While the names are being read, it is such a solemn, several hours, and it should be. And so Robes says, The guy's head is down on the inscription.
00:06:05
Speaker 2: Sobbing. Shaking. The pain was palpable. And you felt it. The moment, just watching this, it looks like a young man, this young man sobbing for someone maybe he had never even gotten the chance to meet, and certainly someone who left 25 years ago, and he still felt that much grief. And all of us just watching that felt that. I mean, it was guttural. And to have it just the next shot. It does. be AOC and mayor mom, Donnie yucking it up, greeting each other, laughing, acting as if they were at a garden party or at a campaign event. And look, I understand that maybe they weren't aware a camera was on them, but at a certain point when you're of that stature and you know, you are at an event that is that solemn and that meaningful and at an event where, you know, hundreds of thousands of people didn't want you to attend because of your ties and your past statements and You need to be extra vigilant to maintain a certain decorum. And I'm sorry if that means not laughing and greeting folks and having a big smile on your face. So be it. Unfortunately, I don't know. Look, people are trying to explain what happened. And I think we can understand what may have happened. It still doesn't matter. It looked Terrible. The damage has been done.
00:07:29
Speaker 1: And we'll tell you in a second what one prominent person at least tried to say in defense of Mamdani and AOC. We'll tell you about that in just a moment. But Ropes, I am, I will, like you can give some type of pass. This isn't necessarily the make him an AOC. Bad people doesn't mean they don't respect what was going on or respect or mourn the dead. But it looks like you don't. We've all, Robes, and you said to be mindful of, the cameras are around and all the stuff going on. Robes, you don't need to be reminded not to make jokes at a funeral. You don't have to be reminded that it's not okay to be laughing in certain environments. Robes, the city of New York goes quiet for three hours and we just listen to names being read and bells. That's all we need to hear. And Robes, to disrespect that moment. It's not like somebody was giving a speech or a band was playing or something. Robes, it's someone's family member was reading the name of their dead family member and I see two people yucking it up. Now, that's not the right classification for what they were doing. I'm saying it has an appearance of not respecting the moment. I know it was a split second. It's not a big, it shouldn't be a big deal. But it looks like a really, really big deal. It does.
00:08:59
Speaker 2: And in this world now of memes, of social media, and if you've got one shot, a couple seconds of video, those few seconds of video are going to be more powerful than anything he's ever said, anything he's ever done, any good deeds he's tried to actually pursue with especially a very... hesitant community to trust him. He has any, any grounds or headway he made are erased in those few seconds. I mean, I can just read you some of what's being said online while normal Americans cry, commie mom, Donnie and AOC laugh it up at the nine 11 Memorial in New York. They hate you. They hate your country. They hate your misery. We cannot allow these people to have power. After thousands of families of victims of terror beg Mom Donnie not to show up, he stands there and laughs while families weep. This is New York City's mayor. That's just a sampling.
00:10:00
Speaker 1: And robes um right now that that pain that anger is fair after this shot and i again a lot of it robes you try to And he shouldn't be condemned as the worst person in the world or a bad guy or to think he doesn't care. You can't go that far. We don't know the guy. Robes, this looks terrible. And it's also, I keep looking as we're doing this, Ro, I keep looking at the video over and over.
00:10:29
Speaker 2: You keep watching it.
00:10:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, and there are folks around them even that just have stern looks on their faces.
00:10:35
Speaker 2: It makes it worse.
00:10:36
Speaker 1: It looks like they are out of place. And I bet that woman behind them, she has glasses on. Somebody's going to track her down. She's looking at them like, well, you all shit.
00:10:43
Speaker 2: Like, what are you doing?
00:10:44
Speaker 1: She kind of has a look, yeah.
00:10:45
Speaker 2: Babe, this one's going to land for you. Someone said this. There was a time and a place for politics. This isn't it. Ground zero is sacred ground. And to that point, you and I, we've said this plenty, live right near ground zero. You and I have walked through those or around those reflecting pools almost daily. There are rules. You cannot run. There aren't loud noises. Kids aren't yelling and screaming and playing. There is a solemnity in that area that is respected 24-7. I mean, truly, I've actually seen a kid running and a guard say, you know, please stop running. This is sacred ground. There is always a level of respect and reverence that surrounds those reflecting pools. And especially on 9-11, on the 25th anniversary, as names are being read.
00:11:43
Speaker 1: You said you saw somebody stop a kid.
00:11:45
Speaker 2: I did.
00:11:46
Speaker 1: But generally, the place doesn't have to be policed. We all get the rules. And even when you step onto the grounds, nobody has to tell you or remind you if you're a visitor there. You're overcome by it. It just is. Today is the most solemn day in the history of Ground Zero since those attacks. Well, just the 25th anniversary. All the presidents are there except the president, right? This is just, of all days... Ah, no. And some will tell you it's unfair that they caught up in this moment. And to a certain degree, I understand. But Robes and folks, stay with us because we'll let you hear the one person who came to their defense and you tell us if this makes sense to you.
00:12:46
Speaker 2: Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ. We are talking about what everyone is talking about. Mayor Mamdani and AOC, yeah, caught, I hate using that word, but were seen laughing, smiling during the 9-11 ceremony marking the 25th anniversary as names were being read, and certainly at just a really high emotional moment right after the camera is showing a young man sobbing on the memorial. It cuts to AOC and mom Donnie. greeting each other, laughing and smiling. And it has, as you might imagine, drawn incredible criticism.
00:13:27
Speaker 1: What is her? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Exactly. Okay, we never, it's just AOC now.
00:13:32
Speaker 2: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Yes.
00:13:35
Speaker 1: Congresswoman from New York's whatever district. Yes.
00:13:38
Speaker 2: And look, these are two of the most prominent socialist Democrats in the country. They are young. They have potentially very bright futures. And they have... I would say it's fair to say they have very big political plans and potential futures. But this right here, this moment is absolutely going to require an explanation. They're both going to have to say something, I would imagine. They are going to have to address this in some way.
00:14:07
Speaker 1: They have to let it go. Really?
00:14:08
Speaker 2: You don't think they'll speak on it?
00:14:09
Speaker 1: They have to let it fade because all you can say is what? All you can say is it caught us as a moment. We were having a greeting. It's being taken by the other side to use as against us, da-da-da-da. then that's going to sound terrible.
00:14:20
Speaker 2: Well, AOC has not ever shied away, and frankly, neither has Mom Donnie in terms of.
00:14:24
Speaker 1: I'm going to defend. You can't... No, no, no. You can explain what you're doing, but you can't defend. Why were you laughing at the 9-11 ceremony? You know, I just needed a minute. I mean, what are you going to say? You can't say anything that's going to make anybody say, oh, OK, I get it.
00:14:39
Speaker 2: OK, well, a former aide to ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, his name is Michael Ragusa. He actually has very publicly and very vehemently come to the defense of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani. And here is what he said. So in response to the New York Post, who said, Mom, Donnie and OAC spotted laughing at 9-11 ceremony while families cry. He said, AOC, sorry, excuse me. I am trying to get to this. I just missed where I had his response, but he, okay. He said, the videos of New York City Mayor and AOC laughing are not true. I was standing next to them the whole time. The camera just caught her greeting him hello. Multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me, Republicans and Democrats.
00:15:37
Speaker 1: That's not a good... Okay, that doesn't make any sense.
00:15:40
Speaker 2: It doesn't, because no one else saw that.
00:15:42
Speaker 1: We're all looking at the same thing. If this was the first time they were seeing each other and this was their hello, that's fine. But to say there wasn't something beyond a smile, there was a laugh, And that's fine. It's that thing, Robes, that's now turned this into... Now you're telling us what we saw we didn't see. And it's okay because... Democrats and Republicans, they were all like, you throw them all into the same bunch.
00:16:09
Speaker 2: That was where he lost us. I think if he had just left it at the camera caught her greeting him, hello, maybe it was too robust of a hello. But to then say multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me, Republicans and Democrats.
00:16:25
Speaker 1: You wouldn't use that as a defense if she did something that needed to be determined. Didn't need to be defended.
00:16:30
Speaker 2: Exactly.
00:16:30
Speaker 1: Why even add the next part?
00:16:32
Speaker 2: And so then people started throwing comments his way when he said this. And he... So they said, you know, you're wrong. He wrote back, I was there, bro. It's not true. And then someone else said to him, are you looking to be the next Curtis Sliwa? And he wrote back, hello, no, just state... Hell no, just stating facts. So now he's got this back and forth. He's fighting with people on X about what he says he saw. But as far as I can tell... He appears right now to be the only one I see publicly defending them. Most people are jumping on these two and calling it for what they see.
00:17:09
Speaker 1: Okay, because we can just call it for what it is. Maybe it was their greeting. Maybe it was, like you said, Robes, the word is right, unfortunate. It was the worst time to go from that particular shot to that shot of them smiling. I don't know if Robes... Even if it hadn't been that, I think it doesn't matter what the shot was beforehand. This would have looked bad.
00:17:30
Speaker 2: It would have. It was made even more difficult to watch because of the juxtaposition of the two. But yes, at any point, while names are being read, if you see a politician smiling and laughing, no. And I don't care what, and yes, it may have been something that was completely, I'm sure it was completely unrelated. to anything that was going on. But that's the point. They weren't paying attention. They weren't being respectful.
00:17:56
Speaker 1: They weren't paying attention. That's the problem.
00:17:58
Speaker 2: They clearly were not. They were not paying attention. They were more focused on their own interactions and saying, hey, instead of actually honoring and respecting the ceremony that was going on. Look, it was disrespectful. I think it's fair to say you can call them disgusting. You can say whatever you want. But I think no matter what, even if it was something they didn't intend to happen, it was still no matter what, it was disrespectful. It was.
00:18:24
Speaker 1: So the New York Robes, they should, you're right, they can say something. They could just come out and apologize. Said, yes, no matter what, that moment shouldn't have taken place. But you can't defend it. That's the only thing to say is an apology. Other than that, I don't think we should.
00:18:43
Speaker 2: I agree because there's nothing you can say to defend it. I agree with you because even, yes, if it was a greeting and you were having fun, you're like, oh my God, hi. I'm sorry, that's not a good enough excuse. That means I wasn't paying attention. I wasn't reading the room. I wasn't actually there to do what I said I was going to do, which was to pay my respects and to honor those who had fallen. I was more interested in greeting people and saying hello and smiling and being with my friends and other politicians and I understand, but.
00:19:14
Speaker 1: Can you still... He can still honor the victims and still have shared a pleasant moment with a fellow politician. But I'm saying, does this take everything away from what he was doing there? I don't... Of course not. I'm saying from a... We can't take this moment and say it's completely throws away the respect he was paying at the 9-11 memorial. Optically though, this, it's over.
00:19:48
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:19:49
Speaker 1: He's he can never come out.
00:19:51
Speaker 2: And oh yeah i'm look i i am somebody who actually believes he was there trying to do the right thing he was there with all of the right motives 100 but unfortunately in this world the way things go especially on social media I don't think there's anything he can do or say to undo those five to 10 seconds that aired around the world that are now going to live in perpetuity online, on memes, on TikTok, on Instagram. There's no way to combat the optics. The optics is the way you put it. And that is something you just, it's going to be exceptionally hard to overcome, especially given the sentiment towards him coming into the ceremony. That is the problem. And I don't think he can talk his way out of this one. Unfortunate, but it was a beautiful ceremony. Nonetheless, hopefully this doesn't overshadow all of the respect that was paid to those who did die on 9-11 and all of the beautiful memorial services that took place across the country. And with that, everyone, we always appreciate you listening to us. I'm Amy Robach alongside TJ Holmes. We'll talk soon.
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Friday, September the 11th, and this looks really, really bad. Yes, a lot of people asked for Mayor Mamdani not to go to the 9-11 ceremony, and there's video out now that is not going to help this debate. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. I don't want to use the word caught. They were seen, Robes, in possibly the worst possible way at the ceremony.
00:00:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think maybe a good way to put it, a fair way to put it, it was a very unfortunate edit or camera juxtaposition. So yes, they've got plenty of cameras that are focused on family members and the names that are being read aloud as we watch the ceremony. And then they have cameras on some of the dignitaries who are in the crowd. And so unfortunately, I believe this initially, it was C-SPAN, I believe, where people have been picking up this edit. But you've got a family member just sobbing as names are being read. And the camera cuts straight to, yes, Mayor Mamdani and AOC. And it looks like they're laughing and greeting each other and smiling. It doesn't look like they are doing that. There is laughter. There are smiles.
00:01:27
Speaker 1: Um, okay here. We were only alerted to this because I looked, took a quick look at social media and saw his name trending number one and thought, oh my goodness, what's going on?
00:01:38
Speaker 2: What's happened?
00:01:39
Speaker 1: What has happened? And so this is, as you can imagine, Robes catching fire. And it's, the usual suspects are chiming in left and right. And the type of rhetoric you can imagine is out there, Robes.
00:01:55
Speaker 2: This.
00:01:56
Speaker 1: And we can get into what we think about this video and how it all looks and what's appropriate and whatnot. But as far as helping him with a particular narrative that is hurting him in our city, this destroyed any good work he might have done in the past week.
00:02:13
Speaker 2: Yes. I think most people know that Mayor Mamdani is the first Muslim mayor of New York City. He was just nine years old, by the way, when 9-11 happened. And For obvious reasons, there were plenty of folks who did not want Mayor Mamdani to be in attendance. There are some certain ties, but certainly his Muslim faith. And there were as many as, what, 113,000 signatures that victims, family members, and folks were able to amass to try and convince him to stop him from coming to the ceremonies before all of this.
00:02:49
Speaker 1: Let's be fair, yes. His Muslim faith is one thing, but he has said some things. He's made some comments that didn't sit well with some folks. And, Rose, the biggest thing lately was who he hired to be his chief counsel for the city, a man, Ramzi Qasim, I believe is the name. But he's the chief counsel of the city, and he once represented an al-Qaeda member who was actually related to someone who was actually one of the 9-11 hijackers. That is a true story. That is true. So, you know, you add some of those things up, his inability sometimes in some people's minds to strongly condemn, like just flat out condemn what happened on 9-11 and all the hijack. So it's a collection of things, Robes, that you can still listen to, listen to his explanation, sit down and can reason about. But if you had any of that stuff in the back of your mind, and then on today of all days, Robes, this, I don't care what you say, it looks terrible.
00:03:45
Speaker 2: It does look terrible. And look, the New York Times had just put out this big article on Mamdani and what he had done in the days and weeks leading up to 9-11 to try and bridge this gap, to try and repair any distrust or anger even directed at him for being a part of these ceremonies. He was going to firehouses. He was meeting with victims' families. He was listening. He wasn't speaking. He was taking it in. He was hearing some of these folks being honored and talked about. And he was trying to, yes, extend an olive branch, so to speak. Now in, what was it, a three, four-second shot snippet? All of that is, if he had made any inroads, it's all undone. The headlines are brutal, yes, from conservative folks on Twitter and certainly just throughout. But things like, why the F are these two laughing? That was from Meghan McCain. John McCain's daughter. These two always show us who they really are. There are some brutal headlines just saying laughing while 9-11 victims are crying. And that is what it looks like, unfortunately.
00:04:56
Speaker 1: And this is a pool camera. I have rights. So I think this is how it always goes. So folks, you have just one network, one camera. that goes out there, and it serves as the camera for all networks. You can pick up this feed. So what I'm saying is that whoever was behind the camera and whoever was directing the show didn't have any or shouldn't have had, Robes, any left or right leanings. They were just doing a job, and they took a shot, Robes, which was one you would think. If you're a director, you have an image, well, names are being read of someone crying. That's a very powerful image. You have an image of two of the most famous names in politics standing together. You would want to take that shot. It just happens to be this, and it was even a beautiful fade. And Robes, these moments, that's one time, I don't care what, you need to shut the hell up. While the names are being read, it is such a solemn, several hours, and it should be. And so Robes says, The guy's head is down on the inscription.
00:06:05
Speaker 2: Sobbing. Shaking. The pain was palpable. And you felt it. The moment, just watching this, it looks like a young man, this young man sobbing for someone maybe he had never even gotten the chance to meet, and certainly someone who left 25 years ago, and he still felt that much grief. And all of us just watching that felt that. I mean, it was guttural. And to have it just the next shot. It does. be AOC and mayor mom, Donnie yucking it up, greeting each other, laughing, acting as if they were at a garden party or at a campaign event. And look, I understand that maybe they weren't aware a camera was on them, but at a certain point when you're of that stature and you know, you are at an event that is that solemn and that meaningful and at an event where, you know, hundreds of thousands of people didn't want you to attend because of your ties and your past statements and You need to be extra vigilant to maintain a certain decorum. And I'm sorry if that means not laughing and greeting folks and having a big smile on your face. So be it. Unfortunately, I don't know. Look, people are trying to explain what happened. And I think we can understand what may have happened. It still doesn't matter. It looked Terrible. The damage has been done.
00:07:29
Speaker 1: And we'll tell you in a second what one prominent person at least tried to say in defense of Mamdani and AOC. We'll tell you about that in just a moment. But Ropes, I am, I will, like you can give some type of pass. This isn't necessarily the make him an AOC. Bad people doesn't mean they don't respect what was going on or respect or mourn the dead. But it looks like you don't. We've all, Robes, and you said to be mindful of, the cameras are around and all the stuff going on. Robes, you don't need to be reminded not to make jokes at a funeral. You don't have to be reminded that it's not okay to be laughing in certain environments. Robes, the city of New York goes quiet for three hours and we just listen to names being read and bells. That's all we need to hear. And Robes, to disrespect that moment. It's not like somebody was giving a speech or a band was playing or something. Robes, it's someone's family member was reading the name of their dead family member and I see two people yucking it up. Now, that's not the right classification for what they were doing. I'm saying it has an appearance of not respecting the moment. I know it was a split second. It's not a big, it shouldn't be a big deal. But it looks like a really, really big deal. It does.
00:08:59
Speaker 2: And in this world now of memes, of social media, and if you've got one shot, a couple seconds of video, those few seconds of video are going to be more powerful than anything he's ever said, anything he's ever done, any good deeds he's tried to actually pursue with especially a very... hesitant community to trust him. He has any, any grounds or headway he made are erased in those few seconds. I mean, I can just read you some of what's being said online while normal Americans cry, commie mom, Donnie and AOC laugh it up at the nine 11 Memorial in New York. They hate you. They hate your country. They hate your misery. We cannot allow these people to have power. After thousands of families of victims of terror beg Mom Donnie not to show up, he stands there and laughs while families weep. This is New York City's mayor. That's just a sampling.
00:10:00
Speaker 1: And robes um right now that that pain that anger is fair after this shot and i again a lot of it robes you try to And he shouldn't be condemned as the worst person in the world or a bad guy or to think he doesn't care. You can't go that far. We don't know the guy. Robes, this looks terrible. And it's also, I keep looking as we're doing this, Ro, I keep looking at the video over and over.
00:10:29
Speaker 2: You keep watching it.
00:10:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, and there are folks around them even that just have stern looks on their faces.
00:10:35
Speaker 2: It makes it worse.
00:10:36
Speaker 1: It looks like they are out of place. And I bet that woman behind them, she has glasses on. Somebody's going to track her down. She's looking at them like, well, you all shit.
00:10:43
Speaker 2: Like, what are you doing?
00:10:44
Speaker 1: She kind of has a look, yeah.
00:10:45
Speaker 2: Babe, this one's going to land for you. Someone said this. There was a time and a place for politics. This isn't it. Ground zero is sacred ground. And to that point, you and I, we've said this plenty, live right near ground zero. You and I have walked through those or around those reflecting pools almost daily. There are rules. You cannot run. There aren't loud noises. Kids aren't yelling and screaming and playing. There is a solemnity in that area that is respected 24-7. I mean, truly, I've actually seen a kid running and a guard say, you know, please stop running. This is sacred ground. There is always a level of respect and reverence that surrounds those reflecting pools. And especially on 9-11, on the 25th anniversary, as names are being read.
00:11:43
Speaker 1: You said you saw somebody stop a kid.
00:11:45
Speaker 2: I did.
00:11:46
Speaker 1: But generally, the place doesn't have to be policed. We all get the rules. And even when you step onto the grounds, nobody has to tell you or remind you if you're a visitor there. You're overcome by it. It just is. Today is the most solemn day in the history of Ground Zero since those attacks. Well, just the 25th anniversary. All the presidents are there except the president, right? This is just, of all days... Ah, no. And some will tell you it's unfair that they caught up in this moment. And to a certain degree, I understand. But Robes and folks, stay with us because we'll let you hear the one person who came to their defense and you tell us if this makes sense to you.
00:12:46
Speaker 2: Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ. We are talking about what everyone is talking about. Mayor Mamdani and AOC, yeah, caught, I hate using that word, but were seen laughing, smiling during the 9-11 ceremony marking the 25th anniversary as names were being read, and certainly at just a really high emotional moment right after the camera is showing a young man sobbing on the memorial. It cuts to AOC and mom Donnie. greeting each other, laughing and smiling. And it has, as you might imagine, drawn incredible criticism.
00:13:27
Speaker 1: What is her? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Exactly. Okay, we never, it's just AOC now.
00:13:32
Speaker 2: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Yes.
00:13:35
Speaker 1: Congresswoman from New York's whatever district. Yes.
00:13:38
Speaker 2: And look, these are two of the most prominent socialist Democrats in the country. They are young. They have potentially very bright futures. And they have... I would say it's fair to say they have very big political plans and potential futures. But this right here, this moment is absolutely going to require an explanation. They're both going to have to say something, I would imagine. They are going to have to address this in some way.
00:14:07
Speaker 1: They have to let it go. Really?
00:14:08
Speaker 2: You don't think they'll speak on it?
00:14:09
Speaker 1: They have to let it fade because all you can say is what? All you can say is it caught us as a moment. We were having a greeting. It's being taken by the other side to use as against us, da-da-da-da. then that's going to sound terrible.
00:14:20
Speaker 2: Well, AOC has not ever shied away, and frankly, neither has Mom Donnie in terms of.
00:14:24
Speaker 1: I'm going to defend. You can't... No, no, no. You can explain what you're doing, but you can't defend. Why were you laughing at the 9-11 ceremony? You know, I just needed a minute. I mean, what are you going to say? You can't say anything that's going to make anybody say, oh, OK, I get it.
00:14:39
Speaker 2: OK, well, a former aide to ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, his name is Michael Ragusa. He actually has very publicly and very vehemently come to the defense of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani. And here is what he said. So in response to the New York Post, who said, Mom, Donnie and OAC spotted laughing at 9-11 ceremony while families cry. He said, AOC, sorry, excuse me. I am trying to get to this. I just missed where I had his response, but he, okay. He said, the videos of New York City Mayor and AOC laughing are not true. I was standing next to them the whole time. The camera just caught her greeting him hello. Multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me, Republicans and Democrats.
00:15:37
Speaker 1: That's not a good... Okay, that doesn't make any sense.
00:15:40
Speaker 2: It doesn't, because no one else saw that.
00:15:42
Speaker 1: We're all looking at the same thing. If this was the first time they were seeing each other and this was their hello, that's fine. But to say there wasn't something beyond a smile, there was a laugh, And that's fine. It's that thing, Robes, that's now turned this into... Now you're telling us what we saw we didn't see. And it's okay because... Democrats and Republicans, they were all like, you throw them all into the same bunch.
00:16:09
Speaker 2: That was where he lost us. I think if he had just left it at the camera caught her greeting him, hello, maybe it was too robust of a hello. But to then say multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me, Republicans and Democrats.
00:16:25
Speaker 1: You wouldn't use that as a defense if she did something that needed to be determined. Didn't need to be defended.
00:16:30
Speaker 2: Exactly.
00:16:30
Speaker 1: Why even add the next part?
00:16:32
Speaker 2: And so then people started throwing comments his way when he said this. And he... So they said, you know, you're wrong. He wrote back, I was there, bro. It's not true. And then someone else said to him, are you looking to be the next Curtis Sliwa? And he wrote back, hello, no, just state... Hell no, just stating facts. So now he's got this back and forth. He's fighting with people on X about what he says he saw. But as far as I can tell... He appears right now to be the only one I see publicly defending them. Most people are jumping on these two and calling it for what they see.
00:17:09
Speaker 1: Okay, because we can just call it for what it is. Maybe it was their greeting. Maybe it was, like you said, Robes, the word is right, unfortunate. It was the worst time to go from that particular shot to that shot of them smiling. I don't know if Robes... Even if it hadn't been that, I think it doesn't matter what the shot was beforehand. This would have looked bad.
00:17:30
Speaker 2: It would have. It was made even more difficult to watch because of the juxtaposition of the two. But yes, at any point, while names are being read, if you see a politician smiling and laughing, no. And I don't care what, and yes, it may have been something that was completely, I'm sure it was completely unrelated. to anything that was going on. But that's the point. They weren't paying attention. They weren't being respectful.
00:17:56
Speaker 1: They weren't paying attention. That's the problem.
00:17:58
Speaker 2: They clearly were not. They were not paying attention. They were more focused on their own interactions and saying, hey, instead of actually honoring and respecting the ceremony that was going on. Look, it was disrespectful. I think it's fair to say you can call them disgusting. You can say whatever you want. But I think no matter what, even if it was something they didn't intend to happen, it was still no matter what, it was disrespectful. It was.
00:18:24
Speaker 1: So the New York Robes, they should, you're right, they can say something. They could just come out and apologize. Said, yes, no matter what, that moment shouldn't have taken place. But you can't defend it. That's the only thing to say is an apology. Other than that, I don't think we should.
00:18:43
Speaker 2: I agree because there's nothing you can say to defend it. I agree with you because even, yes, if it was a greeting and you were having fun, you're like, oh my God, hi. I'm sorry, that's not a good enough excuse. That means I wasn't paying attention. I wasn't reading the room. I wasn't actually there to do what I said I was going to do, which was to pay my respects and to honor those who had fallen. I was more interested in greeting people and saying hello and smiling and being with my friends and other politicians and I understand, but.
00:19:14
Speaker 1: Can you still... He can still honor the victims and still have shared a pleasant moment with a fellow politician. But I'm saying, does this take everything away from what he was doing there? I don't... Of course not. I'm saying from a... We can't take this moment and say it's completely throws away the respect he was paying at the 9-11 memorial. Optically though, this, it's over.
00:19:48
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:19:49
Speaker 1: He's he can never come out.
00:19:51
Speaker 2: And oh yeah i'm look i i am somebody who actually believes he was there trying to do the right thing he was there with all of the right motives 100 but unfortunately in this world the way things go especially on social media I don't think there's anything he can do or say to undo those five to 10 seconds that aired around the world that are now going to live in perpetuity online, on memes, on TikTok, on Instagram. There's no way to combat the optics. The optics is the way you put it. And that is something you just, it's going to be exceptionally hard to overcome, especially given the sentiment towards him coming into the ceremony. That is the problem. And I don't think he can talk his way out of this one. Unfortunate, but it was a beautiful ceremony. Nonetheless, hopefully this doesn't overshadow all of the respect that was paid to those who did die on 9-11 and all of the beautiful memorial services that took place across the country. And with that, everyone, we always appreciate you listening to us. I'm Amy Robach alongside TJ Holmes. We'll talk soon.