The days before the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks reminded people of the tragedy of that day and how it changed life in America forever.It also reminded people of the strong dislike and fear of Muslims that grew after the attacks, even though only a few people from Saudi Arabia were involved.
That hatred towards Muslims is still around today, as shown by a petition that got thousands of signatures asking New York City’s Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, to not attend the 9/11 memorial.
Mamdani ignored the petition, saying it was just the opinion of a small group and still went to the memorial.But the bad feelings didn’t stop there.
Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post was the first to attack, sharing a video they claimed showed AOC and Mamdani laughing at the 9/11 ceremony while families mourned nearby.
The Post’s caption said “Mamdani and AOC spotted laughing at 9/11 ceremony while families cry.” Other right-wing media joined in, like The Blaze and Real America’s Voice, who made the video seem like a contrast between Mamdani and AOC’s past and their disrespect for the real victims.
But the truth is, the video wasn’t real.
Someone who debunked it wasn’t a Democrat, a supporter of Mamdani, or a media outlet that’s friendly to either politician.It was Michael Ragusa, a former aide to Rudy Giuliani, who was right there with them the whole time.
Ragusa wrote on X, “The videos of @NYCMayor 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.” He also made his political stance clear: “And for the record, I am a life-long Republican who has been very critical of these two.I’m just sick of this fake news and people just saying whatever they want.”
When people challenged him, he didn’t back down: “I was there bro.
It’s not true.” When asked if he was trying to become “the next Curtis Sliwa,” he said, “Hell no.Just stating facts.”
Even after Ragusa told the truth, some Republican politicians ignored everything he said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote, “Mamdani and AOC seem to be having the time of their lives while everyone else is paying respects to the deceased,” and Sen.Ted Cruz said, “How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud?Why would you do so?”
What actually happened was that a camera caught a brief, normal moment where AOC greeted Mamdani.
But conservative media turned that moment into a big story about disrespecting 9/11 victims, even suggesting they were being anti-American.They didn’t mention that Mamdani was the only public figure who stayed through the entire list of the victims’ names.
It took a lifelong Republican who was right there with them to set the record straight, because he had no reason to support either of them.
This is what bad-faith media manipulation looks like: using edited videos, emotional framing, and rushing to outrage when the truth comes out.
The videos of @NYCMayor 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. pic.twitter.com/tgiWbWZQgd
— Michael Ragusa (@themikeragu) September 11, 2026
This level of disrespect is incomprehensible.
— Wesley Hunt (@WesleyHuntTX) September 11, 2026
As the names of Americans murdered on September 11th are read aloud at Ground Zero, AOC and Mamdani are laughing and smiling together.
There is a time and a place for politics. This isn’t it.
Ground Zero is sacred ground.
Those…
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Sacred ground indeed. There are no party politics that can explain THAT.