CNN anchor Omar Jimenez got into a heated live debate Sunday with Republican South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) over the latter’s extremist tweets about Muslims needing to be banned from American public office, with Jimenez reminding Mace, “The First Amendment disagrees.”
On Friday, Mace reacted to Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed‘s primary win in the state’s senate race by tweeting, “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.” Mace later doubled down on that stance.
“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,” the Republican congresswoman tweeted. Those tweets became the focus of a tense confrontation between Mace and Jimenez during Sunday’s “CNN Newsroom.”
When Jimenez pressed her about her views, Mace noted she was only speaking about Muslims in public office, before doubling down on her belief that said elected officials pose a “threat” to the United States. She mentioned both El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and warned about the dangers of a “radical Islam ideology where women are covered head to toe.”
“It’s very oppressive. We’ve seen grooming gangs,” Mace said, to which Jimenez told her, “Congresswoman, there’s no indication that Mayor Mamdani has brought any of those ideals to New York City governance or that just being Muslim brings those in.”
“If you’re playing footsie with an imam here in America who’s an unindicted co-conspirator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings, yeah, we have a real problem with that kind of ideology,” Mace countered. Jimenez, meanwhile, reiterated, “Congresswoman, when you make a blanket statement like that it implies that [about] every Muslim member of Congress or leadership, folks who are elected by the way by American citizens.”
Rep. Nancy Mace says President Trump needs to answer more directly to Congress on Iran, that the Epstein files won't go away, and stands by her post that every Muslim in office is a "threat to both national security and our republic." Our full interview: pic.twitter.com/kQckYxpoQb
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) August 9, 2026
“I am deeply concerned about Michigan Democrats nominating a guy hanging out with [Marxist influencer] Hasan Piker, who said America deserved 9/11,” Mace said. Jimenez noted that El-Sayed has apologized for that, but the South Carolina representative did not budge.
“This is who he’s hanging out with, this kind of person who is promoting communist ideology. America is not built on those values,” Mace argued. “In the future, when our granddaughters are wearing burkas to school, we’re going to look back and say, ‘How did this happen?’”
“There’s no indication that that is happening on a wide basis,” Jimenez noted, adding, “An expression of culture, congresswoman, is different than a blanket city policy.” When Mace said she did not want to “hear the call to prayer five times a day in an American city,” Jimenez turned to the Constitution.
“If you don’t want to hear it, that’s okay. The First Amendment protects freedom of religion,” the CNN anchor reminded Mace. “If you don’t want to hear it, fine. I grew up in a Christian household. I grew up in the South. Islam is not my religion, but I have Muslim friends who, if that is how they worship, even if I don’t want to hear it, that is their right to hear.”
“In the privacy of their own mosque or their own home, not on the streets of America. I think we’re speaking a very different vibe here,” Mace responded. Later, as the interview neared its conclusion, Jimenez again returned to the U.S. Constitution’s religious protections.
“I appreciate you taking your time and explaining your tweet as best you could there, but, you know, the First Amendment is pretty clear on freedom of religion,” Jimenez said. When Mace said she does not want Muslim culture “seeping into American culture” because the United States has “Christian foundations,” Jimenez again pushed back.
“That’s your opinion. The First Amendment disagrees that it needs to stay that,” the CNN anchor explained. “If someone wants to express their religion, it’s right there. It’s No. 1 in terms of the Constitution.”
“Go back to that country is all I have to say. Go back to that country of origin. It doesn’t need to be here,” Mace replied, doubling down.
“Congresswoman, America has a long history of expressing cultures from various countries,” Jimenez countered. “You know that. We have seen that play out in generations of immigration.”
“I think we should ban all immigrants from those countries,” Mace announced, to which Jimenez responded, “And that is your opinion, congresswoman.”
You can watch the exchange in the clip above.