Viral Mamdani, AOC clip hijacks 9/11 event

NEW YORK – Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are facing scrutiny for a viral video clip that shows them laughing during a ceremony to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks, with some online users going so far as saying the politicians’ behavior completely hijacked the somber memorial.

“Disgraceful,” said Steve Guest, a former top staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz, according to Fox News. “AOC and Mamdani look happy.”

“Why the f— are these two laughing?” asked Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain. 

As the first Muslim mayor of New York City— the site of the deadliest attack on 9/11—which was carried out by Muslim extremists, it’s not unfair to assume Mamdani should’ve been hyper vigilant about his behavior at an event such as this, especially given the nationwide attention his rise to power and fame has been since he first announced he was running for Mayor of New York City and how some 9/11 victims’ families asked him not to attend the event.

Throughout his campaign and the first year of his term, so far, Mamdani has been, by all accounts, an immaculate example of professionalism, even when under fire by his critics for his faith and democratic socialist ideals.

So, what made him Crack (up) during an event where he knew his every action would come under scrutiny?

We brought in professional lip reader Tad Crater to analyze the video clip to see what was said and what made it so funny neither the mayor, nor the representative, could contain their laughter.

“In the beginning of the clip, Ms. Cortez is very clearly saying, ‘was that you?’,” said Crater. “It’s a little harder to see what the mayor says in response, but if I slow it down, he shakes his head and I am fairly certain he says, ‘no, wasn’t me.’ Now laughing, AOC says, ‘oh, c’mon’.”

Following the four second exchange, both politicians turn their focus back to the event with a stoicism you’d expect at an event honoring the lives of nearly 3,000 people murdered by terrorists.

“Based on my very expert opinion, I believe someone farted and Ms. Cortez was playfully blaming Mr. Mamdani if he was the one who, ‘cut the cheese’,” said Crater. “I certainly don’t think this little banter between colleagues deserves as much media attention as it has gotten, but what do I know? I’m just a fictional character in a satirical news story.”

Now that we know what caused this newsworthy ruckus, only two questions remain: will LaughGate 2026 be the Boeing 767 that takes down Mamdani’s reputation and AOC’s potential hopes for a White House run in 2028?

And more importantly, who cut the cheese?