Pataki says Mamdani should skip 9/11 memorial

Republican former Gov. George Pataki exclusively told City & State on Thursday that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani should skip the upcoming 9/11 memorial commemorating its 25th anniversary – an extraordinary demand from the man who was governor at the time of the 2001 attack.

“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 told City & State, referencing the left-wing influencer and frequent Mamdani booster. “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.”

Pataki said he typically believes in “inclusion,” even of people who he doesn’t agree with. But he said the 9/11 memorial is different as it isn’t a government or political event. “I think (the mayor) 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,” he said.

A growing number of family members of 9/11 victims have said they don't want Mamdani, the city's first Muslim mayor, to attend the memorial service this year. A petition to that effect has attracted signatures from 98,000 people – though only a small percentage of the petition signers appear to be related to 9/11 victims. Many of them, like Pataki, have pointed to Mamdani’s association with Piker. The petition cites a number of other reasons as well, including Mamdani’s father’s academic work on suicide bombers and the mayor’s endorsement of candidates like state Senate Democratic nominee Aber Kawas and congressional Democratic nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier.

Conservatives have amplified these demands, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman said attendees should turn their backs on Mamdani at the memorial should the mayor attend, which Mamdani is expected to do. 

Mamdani has said he still plans to attend the memorial on Sept. 11. “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,” he said in a statement.

Pataki previously hinted at the idea he might add his voice to those demanding Mamdani’s absence. He told reporters at an August event in Albany that he had “grave concerns” about the mayor’s comments, before saying he “may have comments” at a later date about the mayor’s attendance at the 9/11 memorial at a later date. 

No New York City mayor has skipped the 9/11 memorial event, so the demand that Mamdani do so is unprecedented. City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who has frequently criticized the Mamdani administration, called the campaign to keep the mayor from the memorial “absolutely inappropriate.” Menin, who previously chaired the Manhattan community board overseeing the World Trade Center site, noted that politicians explicitly aren’t permitted to give speeches at the event in order to keep the attention on the victims and their families, and said the push to keep Mamdani away from the memorial is itself politicizing the event.

Even if Mamdani attends the memorial, there will still be one extraordinary absence. President Donald Trump does not plan to attend the New York City memorial, reportedly because he was not allowed to give a speech. He will be the only living president who won’t be at the event in Manhattan.