Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville was referring to Mamdani's swearing-in on a Quran. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has documented a history of anti-Muslim statements from him.

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville from Alabama posted on social media: "The enemy is inside the gates" upon learning that Zohran Mamdani became the first mayor of New York City to be sworn in using a Quran.

The Quran is the primary religious text of Islam, akin to the Christian Bible. Mamdani is the first Muslim mayor of New York, the nation's largest city.

Tuberville, a conservative football coach-turned-politician, has a history of making anti-Muslim statements, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.