Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., posted on the social media platform X that all Muslim public servants in the United States pose a threat to the nation.
In a Friday post, Mace wrote: 'Every single Muslim holding public office in America is a trojan horse, and a threat to both national security and our republic. We refuse to be silent.' The post drew immediate condemnation from Democratic lawmakers.
Mace later responded to critics with additional statements. In a post replying to Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Mace wrote: 'Islam must be confronted and Islam must be removed from civil society in the US.'
Mace has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2021. She ran unsuccessfully in the Republican South Carolina gubernatorial primary this year.
What the Right Is Saying
Mace has not issued a full statement beyond her social media posts. She shared Owen Jones' critical commentary and responded to criticism by defending her position.
'If not wanting to be blown up, stabbed, or rammed by a car by a radical Islamist in the United States of America makes us Islamophobes, then so be it,' Mace wrote on Sunday.
No Republican members of Congress have publicly defended Mace's specific language. The White House and GOP leadership have not issued statements on her remarks as of publication time.
Some conservative commentators have argued that concerns about foreign influence in government are legitimate policy questions, though they have not endorsed Mace's sweeping characterization of all Muslim officeholders.
What the Left Is Saying
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., condemned Mace's comments and called on Republicans to denounce them.
'This is absolutely disgusting and dangerous,' Jayapal wrote in a Saturday post on X. 'Republicans must denounce this blatant Islamophobia. To Muslim communities across America: I will always stand with you.'
California state Sen. Scott Wiener, who is running for the U.S. House seat in San Francisco, criticized Mace's remarks.
'Nancy Mace is on yet another bender demonizing Muslims and advocating to strip them of full citizenship. She is a vile person,' Wiener wrote.
Owen Jones, a British commentator and self-described socialist writer, shared Mace's post and drew comparisons to how similar rhetoric about Jewish Americans would be received.
'This is a Republican Congresswoman. If she spoke like this about Jewish Americans, she would right be regarded as a loud-and-proud Nazi,' Jones wrote in a Saturday post. 'Islamophobia is spiralling out of control in the US.'
What the Numbers Show
According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, approximately 1% of members of Congress identify as Muslim, compared to roughly 1.3% of the general U.S. population that identifies as Muslim.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported in its annual civil rights audit that complaints related to discrimination against Muslims increased by 9% from 2022 to 2023.
A 2024 Gallup poll found that 64% of Americans say they would vote for a Muslim candidate for president, compared to 82% who said the same about a Catholic candidate and 84% about a Jewish candidate.
The Bottom Line
Mace's remarks represent an escalation in her public commentary on religious minorities in government. Her office has not responded to requests for clarification beyond her social media posts.
Democratic lawmakers have called on Republican leaders to formally denounce the comments, but no House or Senate GOP leadership statement had been issued as of publication time.
The controversy comes amid ongoing debates about religious literacy tests and loyalty standards for public officials. Legal experts note that such sweeping categorizations based on religion raise constitutional concerns under the First Amendment.