Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani told Newsmax on Sunday that Mayor Zohran Mamdani should stay away from the ceremony at Ground Zero marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, saying his presence would offend victims’ families. “There’s no question he should,” Giuliani told “Sunday Agenda” when asked whether Mamdani should skip Friday’s commemoration. “I mean, the reality is this ceremony is for the families and for America to remember historically.” Giuliani, who was mayor when al-Qaida terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, said Mamdani’s presence would offend him personally.
“Having lost friends there and being very close to many of the families, it offends me that he’s coming,” Giuliani said. More than 99,000 people have signed an online petition urging Mamdani to stay away from the ceremony. Giuliani’s comments came two days after Mamdani signed executive orders declaring Sept. 11 a citywide “Day of Remembrance and Service” and updating New York City’s emergency preparedness procedures. The signing drew criticism after Mamdani handed a ceremonial pen to his chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, who previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, an al-Qaida operative who pleaded guilty before a U.S. military commission to terrorism charges stemming from the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker.
