Rivals Shook Hands at Ground Zero. What Was Actually Said Tells a Bigger Story.

They didn’t want to be seen as the one who looked away.

At Friday’s 25th anniversary 9/11 memorial, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and current Mayor Zohran Mamdani stood face to face at Ground Zero — two men who’d spent the past week publicly attacking each other’s fitness to even be there.

A Feud Set Aside, Briefly

Giuliani had spent days telling reporters Mamdani shouldn’t attend the ceremony at all. He’d accused the mayor of associating with people who minimize 9/11, and said on Newsmax that Mamdani “doesn’t agree that September 11 was an Islamic terrorist attack on the United States of America.” Mamdani’s presence, Giuliani said, “offends me.”

Then the two men ended up standing directly across from each other.

Giuliani told the New York Post exactly what happened next: “We ended up facing each other. I said, ‘I pray for you all the time.'” Mamdani, he said, replied simply: “Thank you.”

A lip-reading expert consulted by other outlets offered a slightly different version of the moment, suggesting Giuliani said “I prayed for you” and Mamdani said “Good job. OK.” But Giuliani’s own account, given directly to reporters, remains the clearest record of what was actually exchanged.

Why Giuliani Says He Extended His Hand

Giuliani didn’t pretend the gesture erased their differences.

“We realized that if either one of us turned our backs, that would have been the story,” he said. “The whole event would have been different.”

He explained the moment came down to respect for the day itself: “It’s about respect for the families, the solemness of the occasion.”

He also gave Mamdani credit for something specific — sticking around. “Our differences are strong and haven’t changed,” Giuliani said. “He stayed until the very end. I give him credit for that.”

Body-language analyst Traci Brown, who reviewed footage of the handshake, said it didn’t look comfortable for either man. “Giuliani’s eyebrows are up in recognition and acknowledgment. But his frown grows the longer they shake hands,” she said. Mamdani, she added, appeared to lean in before catching himself, “making himself confident” with a hand on his hip.

The Praise Came With a Warning

Giuliani’s goodwill had limits. In the same breath as his praise, he renewed his criticism of Mamdani’s political circle.

“I’m concerned about him hanging around with guys saying 9/11 was our fault,” Giuliani said, a reference to Mamdani’s past podcast appearance with Hasan Piker, who has faced backlash for past comments about the attacks.

A Sharper Edge Beneath the Handshake

The tension wasn’t only personal — it was also about what New Yorkers were told in the years after 9/11.

Days before the ceremony, Mamdani’s administration released roughly 170,000 pages of long-withheld city records showing officials for years reassured residents and first responders that the air near Ground Zero was safe to breathe, even as internal memos raised alarms about asbestos and other toxins.

“People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” Mamdani said at a news conference releasing the documents, according to CNN and NPR.

Giuliani’s team responded by pointing to the EPA, saying the federal agency was responsible for the safety assurances and that “no one covered it up,” NPR reported. Former EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman apologized for the agency’s role back in 2016.

What We Know
Giuliani and Mamdani shook hands at the 25th anniversary 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero on September 11, 2026.
Giuliani told the New York Post he said “I pray for you all the time,” and Mamdani responded, “Thank you.”
Giuliani had publicly opposed Mamdani’s attendance in the days beforehand.
Giuliani praised Mamdani for staying through the entire ceremony, while maintaining his criticism of Mamdani’s associations.
Mamdani’s office released roughly 170,000 pages of documents days earlier showing officials misled the public about post-9/11 air safety.
More than 400,000 people were exposed to toxic substances after the attacks, and roughly 140,000 remain enrolled in the federal WTC Health Program.

Why This Matters

This wasn’t just an awkward photo-op. It captured a country still arguing, 25 years later, over who gets to define 9/11’s legacy — and who’s accountable for the harm that followed it. For thousands of first responders and survivors still dealing with the health fallout, the timing of Mamdani’s records release turned a solemn anniversary into a reckoning with decades of institutional silence.

As Giuliani put it, even standing across from a man he deeply distrusts: “Our differences are strong and haven’t changed.”