CNN’s Omar Jimenez presses Nancy Mace over comments targeting Muslim elected officials
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Jimenez challenged Mace on religious freedom and constitutional protections after she called Muslim officeholders a threat to America.
CNN anchor Omar Jimenez pressed Rep. Nancy Mace during a tense live interview over comments she made about Muslim Americans and Muslim elected officials. The exchange focused on religious freedom, the First Amendment and Mace’s claims that Islam poses a threat to American society.
Mace had written on X that “every single Muslim holding public office in America” was a threat to national security and the republic. During the interview, she attempted to clarify that her comments were directed at Muslim elected officials, specifically Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Jimenez repeatedly pressed Mace on whether she was suggesting that Muslims generally posed a threat to the country. “But congresswoman, there’s no indication that Mayor Mamdani has brought any of those ideals to New York City governance,” Jimenez said, according to The Daily Beast’s account of the interview.
Mace argued that Islam was incompatible with what she described as American values and raised concerns about Islamic practices. She also said she did not want to hear the Muslim call to prayer in American cities. Omar Jimenez responded by pointing to constitutional protections for religious expression, explaining that people have the right to practice their faith even when others do not appreciate that religion. At one point, Jimenez reminded Mace that the First Amendment protects freedom of religion. He also referenced Article 6 of the Constitution, which prohibits religious tests for public office.
The exchange quickly became a subject of discussion online, with clips of the interview circulating across social media. The controversy comes after Nancy Mace lost the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary in June.
Mace maintained that the United States has Christian foundations and said she did not want Islam “seeping into American culture.” The interview ended with Mace saying she believed immigration from Muslim-majority countries should be banned, while Omar Jimenez again characterized that as her personal political position.