Chris Hayes says Mamdani modelled "civility and grace" by showing up and shaking hands
Chris HayesBroadcaster and host, posting on his own Bluesky account
Hours after the 25th-anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero, broadcaster Chris Hayes posted that Mamdani had shown how to combine a principled political position with civility, citing his decision to attend and to shake Giuliani's hand despite Giuliani having said his presence would be offensive.
“Too many people online seem to conflate left politics with being obnoxious and scathing and Mamdani is such a model for combining a principled ideological vision with civility and grace. You shake hands, you act like a grown up even whether others aren't. You show up.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Should Zohran Mamdani attend New York City’s 9/11 memorial?
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gov. George Pataki, and some relatives of September 11 victims said Mayor Zohran Mamdani should not attend the 2026 commemoration, citing concerns about his rhetoric and associations. Mamdani said he would attend to honor victims, families, survivors, and first responders. Other elected officials and September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows said excluding the sitting mayor would politicize a ceremony meant for collective remembrance. The dispute is over the civic meaning and appropriateness of attendance, not over whether Mamdani has endorsed the September 11 attacks. Mamdani attended the 25th-anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero on September 11, 2026, shaking hands with Giuliani beforehand, and no protest took place. The argument over whether he should have been there continued after the ceremony, and the case remains open to record it.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
The speaker's own post on Bluesky, published hours after the ceremony and quoting a post about the handshake with Giuliani.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Giuliani said on Newsmax that Mamdani's attendance offended him, and Pataki asked him to stay away. A Suffolk University poll found 74 percent of surveyed New York City voters thought Mamdani should attend.
After the quotation
The New York Times published an opinion piece on the handshake by Meher Ahmad on September 15, asking who is allowed to mourn September 11 and its aftermath. Commentary on the ceremony continued after the event, which is why this case remains open.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Hayes endorses the attendance and the manner of it, answering the objection that his presence was inappropriate by praising him for showing up. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, because the post opens as a criticism of people on the left rather than a defence of Mamdani. That loses because the criticism is the setup for the praise; the operative claim is that Mamdani's conduct at the ceremony was a model, which endorses the conduct under scrutiny.
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- People and groups discussed
- Zohran Mamdani
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Read the full caseTrump calls the Mamdani-AOC laughing moment "terrible"
“I think it's terrible. It's not a place to be laughing... the fact that they were laughing together at a very important part of the ceremony was inappropriate.”Read statement
Emma Vigeland calls Mamdani's handshake with Giuliani at the 9/11 ceremony masterful
“To recap: 1) Giuliani went on a racist rant about Muslims and said he'd be "offended" if Mamdani attended the 9/11 ceremony 2) Mamdani released thousands of documents on 9/11 air quality that implicate Giuliani 3) Mamdani shakes his hand with a smile at the ceremony Masterful.”Read statement
Giuliani gives his own account of the Mamdani handshake, offers praise
“So we shook hands and I said to him, 'I pray for you,' and he said 'thank you' ... I commend him also for shaking hands with me.”Read statement
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- Chris Hayes says Mamdani modelled "civility and grace" by showing up and shaking hands
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The Dispute Index. "Chris Hayes says Mamdani modelled "civility and grace" by showing up and shaking hands". First published: 2026-09-18. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1088-hours-after-the-25th-anniversary-ceremony-at-ground