Rudy Giuliani said on Newsmax that Mayor Zohran Mamdani should not take part in this week’s ceremonies marking 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The former New York City mayor, who led the city after the attacks and earned the nickname “America’s mayor,” said there is “no question” Mamdani should stay away.
Giuliani described the gathering as one meant for families and for the country to remember what happened. “The reality is this ceremony is for the families and for America to remember historically,” he said. He said he lost friends at the site and remains close to many relatives of the dead. He then said, “it offends me that he’s coming.”
Giuliani, 82, claimed Mamdani “doesn’t agree that September 11 was an Islamic terrorist attack on the United States Of America.” He also claimed the mayor, a practicing Muslim, belonged to a global Islamic effort to “dominate” the Western world. “Too many Americans fall for that Islamic propaganda, which is the reason they’re taking over certain parts of America and certain parts of Europe,” Giuliani said.
Other officials and some families have also objected to Mamdani attending
Giuliani compared Mamdani unfavorably with the hijackers. He said Osama bin Laden stated his hatred of the United States openly, while the mayor “is trying to hide it.” The New York Post reported that Giuliani is not the only prominent figure urging Mamdani not to appear at the memorials.
Some relatives of 9/11 victims have made the same request. An online petition supporting that position has collected more than 100,000 signatures, at the time of writing. The objections have centered on Mamdani’s ties to people who have condemned the United States, blamed American foreign policy for the attacks, or associated with known terrorists, according to the report.
Former Gov. George Pataki, who held office when more than 2,700 people were killed in the city, also said Mamdani should remain home. The controversy has unfolded as Mamdani addresses presidential speculation, saying the Constitution looks good just the way it is. Speaking to City and State, Pataki pointed to Mamdani’s closeness to influencer Hasan Piker, who has blamed America for the plots.
“With respect to the mayor, I think anyone who doesn’t intentionally distance themselves from Hasan Piker, who has said that America deserved the attacks of September 11th, should not be there,” Pataki said. He also said, “Anyone who has refused to reject the phrase ‘globalize the intifada,’ which unequivocally calls for violence against Jews, not just in Israel but anywhere in the world, should not be at that site.”
Mamdani has rejected Piker’s remark that “America deserved 9/11,” and Piker has rejected it as well, the Post reported. Mamdani has still kept up the association. Mamdani has continued to voice controversial political stances, such as when he called Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal but admitted he had no authority to arrest him if he visits New York City.
Pataki said, “I think [Mamdani] has two choices: reject those extremist views against America and calling for violence against Jews, or voluntarily decide it’s not in the families’ and the victims’ interest for him to be there.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman has raised similar objections to Mamdani’s planned appearance. Gov. Kathy Hochul took the opposite view. Asked Monday at Brooklyn’s West Indian Day Parade about Giuliani’s remarks, she said skipping the event would insult families who do not oppose the mayor’s presence.
“He absolutely should be there. He is the mayor of New York City and I have utmost respect for the small number of families that have expressed that, but I think it would be more insulting to the vast majority if he did not come,” Hochul said.
She added, “It’s important that he show that we are reunited in our opposition to terrorism. We stand out with our law enforcement, our first responders and the families that have lost loved ones.” She also said, “This is a communal event. It should not be a decisive one the way the Republicans are trying to make it be.”
Mamdani has not signaled any change in plans. His office restated a July pledge that he would attend. “I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them at this year’s 9/11 commemoration, reaffirming that we will never forget the solemn day felt by all of us who call this city home and, frankly, by all of us who call this country home,” his office said.
Published: Sep 8, 2026 07:45 am