Mace Criticized for Calling Muslim Public Officials a Threat

Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, sparked widespread controversy over the weekend with a series of social media posts and a subsequent television appearance in which she characterized all Muslim public officials in the United States as a threat to national security. The remarks, which began on the social media platform X on Friday, August 7, 2026, and continued through a Sunday interview on CNN, drew sharp criticism from fellow lawmakers and civil rights advocates.

In her initial post on Friday, 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 statement immediately drew a response from Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington, who called the comments "absolutely disgusting and dangerous" and urged her Republican colleagues to denounce what she termed "blatant Islamophobia."

Mace did not retract her statements. Instead, she amplified them in subsequent posts on Saturday and Sunday. In a reply to Jayapal, Mace wrote, "Shes right. I dont want to get stabbed or blown up by a suicide bomber nor do I want to hear the...