There is strong bipartisan pushback against Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who called New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani “the enemy” in an anti-Muslim social media post. 

New York leaders roundly criticized the Alabama senator’s post, which came days after two Pennsylvania men were charged with trying to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack near Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence. 

“The enemy is inside the gates,” Tuberville posted with a picture of Mamdani at a Ramadan event and another of the 9/11 terror attack in Lower Manhattan. 

Mamdani denounced the GOP senator’s post during his Ramadan event Thursday night. 

“For nearly as long as there has been a New York City, there have been Muslim New Yorkers. And yet, for nearly just as long, those with power and platform have sought to dehumanize us,” the Democratic mayor said.

Lawmakers reject Islamophobic posts

Amid concern over rising Islamophobia and antisemitism as the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches and after the recent attack on a synagogue in Detroit, leaders from both sides of the aisle rejected Tuberville’s post.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable, period. And I’m very, very disenchanted with my colleagues,” said Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, New York City’s only Republican representative.  

“People like that should not be in public life. In fact, they are the lowest of the lows. I reject any kind of notion that it’s OK in public discourse or even in your own house to, not just harbor that hate, but to share it with others,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “The rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism is off the charts.” 

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Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama). Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026.

Jose Luis Magana / AP

“A deeply hateful post, clearly Islamophobic. Just mean, and I called on him to take it down and to apologize, because we don’t need that kind of hate anywhere in this country,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said.

Republican Rep. Randy Fine of Florida has also been denounced for a post suggesting Muslims should be sent out of the United States.  

“These posts that they’re making are offensive, they’re unacceptable,” Malliotakis said. 

“Rhetoric that makes us weaker”

Zead Ramadan, a board member on the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Tuberville’s post has no place in political discourse. 

“All it’s going to do is stamp their resume as someone who is hateful and divisive and attacks fellow Americans, who may happen to be Muslims. How do we know it’s not going to be a Jew who’s next, or a different denomination of Christianity who’s next, or a Hindu who’s next? This is just the kind of rhetoric that makes us weaker as Americans, not makes us stronger,” Ramadan said. 

Ramadan added normalizing hate against one group tends to normalize hate against others, a violation of the constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom. 

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