Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and current Mayor Zohran Mamdani shake hands at Ground Zero during the annual Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony. The moment takes place on Memorial Plaza ahead of the formal memorial service.
The handshake follows a public dispute in which Giuliani, who led the city during the Sept. 11 attacks, had urged Mamdani not to attend the ceremony. After that call, both officials appear at the event and share a brief greeting, which outlets describe as a visible sign of unity.
Different outlets focus on different details of the encounter. One reports the handshake at Ground Zero in the lead-up to the memorial. Another emphasizes the context of Giuliani’s earlier remarks and frames the gesture as a response to a tense exchange. A third centers on claims about what Giuliani and Mamdani say during the handshake, including interpretation of their brief conversation.
