Mamdani and Giuliani shake hands at 9/11 memorial amid feud

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani shared a brief, civil handshake at the National September 11 Memorial Museum on Friday, September 11, 2026, marking the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The encounter occurred despite a public feud in which Giuliani had urged Mamdani not to attend the ceremony. The interaction came after Giuliani publicly stated it offended him that the city's first Muslim mayor would participate in the remembrance. Mamdani's administration had, in the days leading up to the anniversary, released more than 170,000 pages of previously confidential city records related to post-9/11 air quality and health concerns. The newly released documents detail what city officials knew about toxic conditions in Lower Manhattan following the collapse of the World Trade Center. Mamdani accused previous city leaders of lying to New Yorkers about whether the air around Ground Zero was safe. The controversy placed renewed scrutiny on decisions made during Giuliani's administration, as thousands of first responders, residents, and workers later developed illnesses associated with exposure to toxic dust and debris.