Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama has sharply escalated his rhetoric against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, publicly suggesting the Democratic mayor should be 'sent to Gitmo' — invoking the Guantánamo Bay military detention facility in what critics have called an alarming instance of political intimidation. The remarks, made during an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, reflect the deepening polarisation in American politics over immigration, democratic socialism, and the ideological direction of the Democratic Party.

What Tuberville Said

Tuberville, who has represented Alabama in the US Senate since 2021 and is now the Republican nominee for governor of the state, made the remarks in response to Johnson's criticism of Mamdani over immigration and foreign policy stances.

'It's amazing me, we allow a guy to come in this country just a few years ago... For some reason, we have enough people in New York that would vote for this guy to run the largest and the most popular city in the world,' Tuberville said.

He added: 'He will, sooner or later, he will do something more stupid than what he's done to where we'll finally say, enough's enough. Go put handcuffs on him and get him the hell outta here... And send him to Gitmo, because the guy hates this country.'

Tuberville also accused Mamdani of seeking to 'change' the United States, saying: 'It is not gonna happen. We're not gonna allow him, just because he's mayor of New York, to be able to change our Constitution and everything that we believe in.'

Who Is Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, rose to national prominence after defeating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. He has since emerged as one of the Democratic Party's most recognisable progressive figures. His rise has coincided with broader electoral gains by democratic socialist candidates across New York, Los Angeles, Colorado, and Washington, D.C. — a trend Republicans have sought to frame as evidence of a leftward ideological shift within the party ahead of the US midterm elections.

A Pattern of Attacks

This is not the first time Tuberville has targeted Mamdani. Earlier this year, the senator drew sharp criticism after linking the mayor's Ramadan iftar event at New York City Hall with the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. California Governor Gavin Newsom responded by calling Tuberville 'a racist piece of s—', according to reports. The latest remarks, which echo a suggestion first made by interviewer Johnson about deportation and detention, represent a further escalation in the senator's public posture toward the mayor.

Broader Political Context

The comments arrive amid a fiercely contested national debate over immigration enforcement, the boundaries of political speech, and the rise of democratic socialism as an electoral force in major American cities. Republicans have increasingly sought to portray progressive municipal leaders as threats to constitutional order, while Democrats argue such rhetoric normalises political violence. Tuberville, a former college football coach before entering politics, is now the frontrunner in the Alabama gubernatorial race — a race in which his national profile, built partly on high-profile attacks on progressive figures, is seen as a political asset in the traditionally conservative southern state.