It was a moment freighted with symbolism, and baggage. At ground zero on Friday morning, New York City’s mayoral past and its present crossed paths, warily and awkwardly.
There stood Rudolph W. Giuliani, once the personification of the city’s response to 9/11 and now a peddler of right-wing conspiracy theories, who declared that the sitting mayor, Zohran Mamdani, should not attend the ceremony honoring the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Suddenly, the object of Mr. Giuliani’s ire, Mr. Mamdani, walked up to him at the site. By all rights, Mr. Mamdani could have kept on walking right by, returning a slight with a slight. Instead, he stopped and stretched out his hand toward the former mayor. Mr. Giuliani took Mr. Mamdani’s hand. Cameras captured only Mr. Giuliani’s side of the words that were then exchanged, which appeared to be “I’ll pray for you. It’s a really hard job.”
A representative for Mr. Giuliani confirmed that he told Mr. Mamdani that “he was praying for him.” Aides to Mr. Mamdani said the former mayor also told him it was a hard job.
With that, it seemed, Mr. Mamdani’s act of graciousness produced a very different version of Mr. Giuliani: respectful and, it seemed, a bit chastened.
Asked about his interaction with Mr. Giuliani as he was leaving the 9/11 memorial service, Mr. Mamdani did not reveal what was said.
“He came over and we both extended our hands and exchanged pleasantries,” said Mr. Mamdani. “I think the focus for all of us is a focus on the families, a focus on first responders and to be here and hear the names of all those who were stolen from us 25 years ago and how the families have persevered through that time. I am truly in awe of all that these families have given us.”
Mr. Mamdani’s aides said the mayor determined months ago that he wanted to keep the focus off himself and on families, responders and those dealing with 9/11-related illnesses.
Dana Rubinstein contributed reporting.
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