Laura Loomer urges Vice President Vance to refuse handshake with NYC Mayor at 9/11 ceremony
Right-wing activist Laura Loomer called on Vice President JD Vance to avoid shaking hands with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during the 25th-anniversary 9/11 memorial, citing anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Laura Loomer, a political activist aligned with President Donald Trump, posted on X urging Vice President JD Vance not to shake hands with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the upcoming 9/11 memorial. She warned that a photo of Vance shaking Mamdani’s hand would be something he would "regret forever" and described the mayor as a "dirty Muslim" and a "jihadist."
Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim mayor and a democratic socialist, is scheduled to attend the ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives. He said he will honor the victims and survivors and reiterated his condemnation of the attacks.
The request follows similar criticism from other Republican figures. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Mamdani’s presence offends him, while former Governor George Pataki suggested the mayor should skip the event. Critics have also highlighted Mamdani’s appointment of legal counsel Ramzi Kassem, noting Kassem’s prior representation of a relative of a 9/11 hijacker.
President Donald Trump will not attend the ceremony, opting instead for a service at the Pentagon with First Lady Melania Trump after reports that political speeches would be prohibited at the New York event.