Sara Jacobs
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) was the target of a House floor screaming episode and an antisemitic online post by Rep. Nancy Mace in September 2025.
Last updated September 10, 2025
Sara Jacobs is a Democratic U.S. Representative from California's 51st congressional district (San Diego), first elected in 2020 and known for her work on human rights and national-security policy.
What happened
September 10, 2025 — House floor exchange. The House of Representatives was debating amendments to the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) was advancing several anti-transgender amendments, including one to restrict gender-affirming healthcare coverage under the military's TRICARE program and another to bar transgender individuals from using bathrooms and locker rooms on military installations that do not correspond to their sex assigned at birth.
Rep. Jacobs took the floor to oppose the amendments. In remarks defending transgender service members, Jacobs argued that the Republican framing of "gender-affirming care" was selectively applied, saying: "Filler is gender-affirming care. Boob jobs is gender-affirming care. Botox is gender-affirming care. Lots of my colleagues have received gender-affirming care."
After stepping away from the microphone, Mace could be heard screaming at Jacobs across the chamber: "Ridiculous. You're absolutely ridiculous. What the hell is your problem?" The outburst was captured on C-SPAN footage and widely circulated on social media.
September 11–12, 2025 — Online escalation and antisemitic post. The exchange continued on X (formerly Twitter). Jacobs posted in response to Mace: "I feel sad for you. Stop lashing out against trans kids and pretending it's to 'protect women'. Hope you get the help you need." In a separate reply, Jacobs clarified that her floor remarks were not aimed at Mace personally: "I didn't actually say anything about Nancy Mace. I said many of my colleagues have had this kind of care."
Mace escalated on X with a post addressed to Jacobs: "PS – I have a good surgeon if you ever want to get your nose done." Because Jacobs is Jewish, the reference was immediately identified by critics as invoking a longstanding antisemitic trope about Jewish noses. Jacobs replied: "And going with the Jewish nose joke…very creative (and also very antisemitic)."
Multiple Jewish organizations condemned Mace's post. The Nexus Project called the remark "antisemitic, schoolyard bullying about their Jewish colleagues' noses." The Jewish Democratic Council of America stated: "Telling a Jewish woman to get a nose job is antisemitism. Full stop." No public apology from Mace was reported.
In a subsequent statement to The New Republic, Jacobs described the broader pattern: "She is intentionally targeting a vulnerable group of people because she wants the attention. It is cruel. It is malintended. And it is not just about 'she said something wrong once.'"
Sources
- The Hill — Nancy Mace yells at Sara Jacobs over 'boob jobs is gender-affirming care' comment (September 10, 2025)
- Jewish Telegraphic Agency — GOP Rep. Nancy Mace to Jewish progressive: 'I have a good surgeon if you ever want to get your nose done' (September 12, 2025)
- The Forward — 'I have a good surgeon if you ever want to get your nose done,' GOP Rep. Nancy Mace said to Jewish progressive (September 12, 2025)
- San Diego Jewish World — Sharp Personal Exchange Between Reps. Sara Jacobs and Nancy Mace (September 11, 2025)
- The Advocate — U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace, Sara Jacobs spar over trans rights and 'boob jobs' as gender-affirming care (September 11, 2025)
- PinkNews — Sara Jacobs says she hopes Nancy Mace 'gets help' after trans rant (September 11, 2025)
See also
Neutral, sourced summary. Characterizations of Mace's post as antisemitic are attributed to the Nexus Project, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, and Rep. Jacobs herself; no court or ethics body has adjudicated the matter.