The statements, interpreted by critics as a crude relativization of national pain, provoked an immediate reaction from Republican and conservative figures, with Vance at the forefront. From the White House, sources close to the vice president said that his comments reflect Americans' exhaustion with politicians who try to rewrite the history of 9/11 for identity purposes.
The controversy comes after another recent dispute between Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo, who this week was also accused of ""Islamophobia"" by the candidate himself. In a radio interview, Cuomo questioned Mamdani's ability to lead New York in the event of a crisis:
Vice President JD Vance sparked a political storm this Saturday by harshly criticizing the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor,Zohran Mamdani, for his recent disastrous statements about the September 11, 2001, attacks, accusing him of downplaying the tragedy by presenting himself as an indirect victim through his family.
In a message posted on X, Vance shared a video of Mamdani speaking at a campaign event on Friday, accompanied by the comment:
""According to Zohran, the real victim of 9/11 was his aunt, who supposedly got dirty looks on the subway.""
The Republican vice president's criticism comes just as early voting begins in New York, in an election race marked by tension between Mamdani, considered the communist favorite, and his rivals, former governor Andrew Cuomo and the Republican, Curtis Sliwa.
El candidato musulmán a alcalde de la Ciudad de Nueva York, se burló de las víctimas del atentado a las Torres Gemelas
In the video, Mamdani recounted:
""I want to speak in memory of my aunt, who stopped taking the subway after September 11 because she didn't feel safe wearing her hijab.""
The candidate, of Ugandan and Indian descent and of Muslim faith, added that his message was directed at Muslim New Yorkers who ""work for our city, whether teaching in our schools or patrolling the streets for NYPD,"" but who ""see how their leaders spit in their faces.""
Mamdani, who represents the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party, also spoke about the sense of exclusion that, according to his claims, many Muslims and racialized people have experienced in New York since the attacks:
""I want to speak to every child who grows up here being marked as the other, who is randomly selected in a way that never really seems random, who feels like they carry a stain that can't be washed away. Growing up in the shadow of 9/11 taught me what it means to live under an undercurrent of suspicion.""
""At any moment there could be a crisis, and lives are at stake. God forbid, if there were another September 11, can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?""
The former governor's words were described as ""repugnant"" by Mamdani, who replied at an event in Manhattan:
""Yes, I think they were Islamophobic. We're talking about a former governor who, in his final moments in public life, resorts to rhetoric that is not only Islamophobic and racist, but also repugnant.""
El exgobernador de Nueva York y actual candidato a alcalde también criticó fuertemente a Mamdani
Mamdani's campaign did not respond to Vance's comments, although allies of the candidate pointed out that the Republican was ""trying to manipulate the context"" of his words to score political points.
As the final stretch of the race intensifies, the episode has revealed the deep cultural and religious divisions that persist in New York politics more than two decades after 9/11.
Meanwhile, Vance and Cuomo accuse Mamdani of offending the memory of the victims, while the candidate insists that his message seeks to recognize the shared pain and denounce the discrimination that, according to him, has persisted since then.
Los comentarios de Mamdani representaron un gravísimo insulto a la memoria de las víctimas del atentado del 11-S
