Michael LaRosa warns Mamdani would be a lightning rod at 9/11 event
Michael LaRosaFormer spokesperson for first lady Jill Biden
LaRosa signed the exclusion petition and warned that Mamdani's presence would divert attention from victims and families.
“lightning rod”
Interview
Reporting
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
Interview
About this source
TNND quotes LaRosa confirming his petition signature and arguing that Mamdani's presence would distract from remembrance. It is not a statement by Jill Biden. The article displays September 9 at 8:06 p.m. without an explicit timezone.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Quotes letters from Port Authority Retired Police Association president John McDevitt and reports Michael LaRosa's warning that Mamdani would become a distraction.
Before the quotation
The petition had attracted support from people outside Republican politics.
After the quotation
LaRosa argued that attention should remain on victims and their loved ones. The August 29 timestamp is the date assigned to the earlier report, not a verified time of his statement; the September 9 report provides additional corroboration.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Signing the petition establishes opposition; the quotation captures his stated concern about distraction.
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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
Chris Hayes says Mamdani modelled "civility and grace" by showing up and shaking hands
“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.”Read statement
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- The Dispute Index
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- Michael LaRosa warns Mamdani would be a lightning rod at 9/11 event
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/225-larosa-signed-the-exclusion-petition-and-warned-that
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Michael LaRosa warns Mamdani would be a lightning rod at 9/11 event". First published: 2026-09-10. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/225-larosa-signed-the-exclusion-petition-and-warned-that