"Why the hell is he laughing?!": The footage of Adams from the memorial ceremony sparks outrage

A short 4-second clip from the September 11 memorial ceremony, showing New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Congresswoman AOC smiling and chatting during the reading of the victims' names, has sparked outrage on social media in the US. Amid Republican criticism, some figures came to their defense, arguing it was a brief greeting interaction and that the two remained at the ceremony until its end.

A short, 4-second clip from the memorial ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks managed to steal the show and spark outrage on social media in the United States, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams once again at the center. The footage, from the broadcast of the ceremony held last night (Friday) at the Ground Zero site in New York, shows Adams alongside progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) as the two smile and chat during the reading of the victims' names. Moments earlier, the broadcast showed a young man sobbing near the memorial, and the transition between the images drew criticism from conservative politicians and commentators. Senator Ted Cruz shared the video and wrote: "How the hell can you laugh while the names of the 9/11 victims are being read aloud?" However, Michael Ragusa, a security aide for former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, said AOC was just greeting Adams. Former House member Yuh-Line Niou defended him, claiming Adams "stayed until the last name was read, and even stayed afterward to speak with the families for 45 minutes." Also, moments before the ceremony, Adams approached Rudy Giuliani to shake his hand, just days after Giuliani compared him to the hijackers of the 9/11 attacks.