New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called out U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville this week for a social media post that put Mamdani’s photo next to an image of the September 11 attacks. The exchange unfolded online, but things really spilled over at a Ramadan event in City Hall, where Mamdani spoke directly about Tuberville’s comments in front of city staff and local community leaders.
It all started when Tuberville reposted a side-by-side image on X— one shot of the burning towers from 9/11, the other of Mamdani hosting a Ramadan iftar at City Hall. The original caption read, “Less than 25 years apart.” Tuberville added his own line, “The enemy is inside the gates.”
The enemy is inside the gates. https://t.co/YSNHIpDnds
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) March 12, 2026
Tuberville’s views are nothing if not consistent. In November 2025, he called for the ban of “all Islam immigrants” after the National Guard Shooting.
Mamdani also fired back on X, with a sharp, brief statement. “Let there be as much outrage from politicians in Washington when kids go hungry as there is when I break bread with New Yorkers,” he said.
That night, Mamdani addressed the situation again at an iftar dinner with Muslim city employees. Ramadan, which is the month of fasting and prayer for Muslims, runs through March this year. Iftar is the meal that breaks the daily fast.
Let there be as much outrage from politicians in Washington when kids go hungry as there is when I break bread with New Yorkers. https://t.co/IibwxE1SDr
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 12, 2026
He explained that the image Tuberville shared was from the dinner Mamdani hosted earlier that week. “Just this morning, a United States senator from Alabama commented on a photo of me at an iftar here in City Hall, placed next to an image of 9/11 with the quote ‘the enemy is inside the gates,’” Mamdani said.
Mamdani continued talking about how Muslim Americans often face suspicion just for participating in public life. “When I hear such hatred and disdain unchecked in its rancor, I feel a loneliness and isolation that I know many of you have felt as well,” Mamdani told the crowd.
Mamdani — who’s a democratic socialist and became New York City’s first Muslim mayor in January 2026 — used a Quran during his swearing-in ceremony.
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Tuberville didn’t retract his post. Instead, he doubled down in several follow-up messages. “Calling Radical Islam out for being a CULT doesn’t make you an Islamophobe,” he wrote. Then he argued that “Radical Islam” doesn’t fit with the U.S. Constitution, saying he’d stay outspoken on the matter.
Tuberville later clarified in another post, “To be clear, I didn’t ‘suggest’ Islamists are the enemy. I said it plainly.”
Calling Radical Islam out for being a CULT doesn’t make you an “Islamophobe.” Radical Islamists chant “death to America” and would love to see every Christian and Jew murdered.
Under Sharia Law, if you are not a Muslim, you are the ENEMY.
Under Sharia Law, minorities are… https://t.co/XYfEoxtYG4
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) March 12, 2026
The post spread fast across political circles and racked up thousands of replies in just hours. Politicians like Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders also spoke out against Tuberville’s comment.
Schumer called Tuberville’s post “mindless hate. “Islamophobic hate like this is fundamentally un-American and we must confront and overcome it whenever it rears its ugly head,” he wrote.
Senator Tuberville’s post on Mayor Mamdani is nothing less than blatant Islamophobic racism.
Not only should Tuberville apologize, but the Republican leadership should strongly condemn this kind of ugly behavior.
We must fight racism of all kinds, not condone it. https://t.co/J9yzJCpt7t
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 13, 2026
One of the many people who said that Tuberville should apologize was Sanders. “Not only should Tuberville apologize, but the Republican leadership should strongly condemn this kind of ugly behavior,” he posted.
Mamdani didn’t ask for an apology. Instead, he framed the whole incident as part of a long-running pattern. “For nearly as long as there has been a New York City, there have been Muslim New Yorkers,” he said. He paused. Then, looking around the room, he added, “And yet for nearly just as long, there have been people who try to tell them they do not belong.”
