Florida Republican Randy Fine recently faced widespread backlash following a controversial social media post that seemingly favored dogs over Muslims, sparking accusations of Islamophobia.

Voices from across the political spectrum, including Jake Tapper and Megyn Kelly, were quick to condemn the post, which appeared on the platform X on Sunday.

Fine’s original post stated, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,” prompting immediate criticism.

CNN’s Jake Tapper labeled the statement as “disgusting bigotry,” while Huffington Post contributor Yashar Ali described Fine as “one of the most horrible people in public office,” echoing the sentiments of many other critics.

In response to the backlash, Fine, 51, attempted to clarify his remarks by providing what he called “context.”

However, his explanation revealed that he had misunderstood a sarcastic comment made by Manhattan nonprofit leader Nerdeen Kiswani, interpreting it as a serious statement.

Kiswani’s post, published to X Thursday, had poked fun at New Yorkers’ growing and well-known disdain toward dog owners who leave behind their pets’ droppings.

‘Finally, NYC is coming to Islam. Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets. Like we’ve said all along, they are unclean,’ she jokingly wrote, paving the way for Rep. Fine’s seemingly serious response.

Florida Rep. Randy Fine suggested that dogs are more beloved by Americans than Muslims – 

Figures from both sides of the aisle spoke out against the post, which almost all saw as Islamophobic

Mike Nellis, a former Kamala Harris aide who is now a political commentator, added that he thought the Israel-supporting politician ‘a garbage human being’. 

Cenk Uygur, who was born a Muslim but is now an atheist, went on to ask his followers how Fine’s remarks would be received if the word ‘Muslims’ was replaced with the word ‘Jews.’ 

‘Now watch what happens to Randy Fine after saying it about Muslims. Absolutely nothing. Bigotry doesn’t matter, only antisemitism,’ the Young Turks founder wrote.

Liberal activist and content creator Ed Krassenstein also took issue with the post, which also earned the ire of several conservatives.

‘I am Jewish like Republican Randy Fine. If someone posted this and replaced “Muslim” with “Jew”, they would be impeached in 2 seconds. Just saying,’ he wrote.

As both men indicated, Fine is Jewish. He is also an outspoke supporter of Israel and critic of Palestine.

Back in May, the former state assembly member branded the ‘Palestinian cause’ as ‘evil’ and said the country should be ‘nuked’. 

Fine’s comments also received criticism from California Governor Gavin Newsom, who demanded Fine ‘resign now’, while branding him a ‘racist slob.’ 

The backlash to Fine’s post was swift and pronounced, as Fine continued to keep the post up

Right-leaning commentators like Kelly also criticized Fine’s comments, with Kelly – a critic of identify politics – writing, ‘wtf is this.’ 

Milo Yiannopoulos described Fine as ‘a man of low moral character, unfit to hold public office,’ before taking a shot at the politician’s weight.

UK commentator Piers Morgan called Fine a ‘disgusting pr*ck.’

Countless others criticized the post as well. 

Conservative pushback to Kiswani’s initial post, meanwhile, appeared to shape Fine’s initial argument in the first place, after several internet users looked to misinterpret it as being serious.

‘For context, this is the leader of one of the key mainstream Muslim groups that supported Mamdani,’ he wrote in one of many replies, while continuing to be chided.

His comments come at a time where antisemitic incidents are on the rise in the US, and as the conflict in Gaza continues.   

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, is an outspoken critic of Israel’s actions during the conflict, earning the ire of figures like Fine as a result.

Fine – the U.S. Representative for Florida’s 6th Congressional District since last year and a former state senator – addressed pushback to his recent comments with a multiple posts to his social media accounts just after 1pm Monday.

Fine appeared to address the pushback to his comments with a pointed post to X and Facebook that featured a doggified Don’t Tread on Me Style flag – generally a symbol of defiance

Conservative pushback to a viral, satirical post from Palestinian nonprofit organizer Nerdeen Kiswani in New York on Thursday appeared to fuel Fine’s take

The series of post included two AI-altered versions a Don’t Tread on Me Style flag, each with a dog emblazoned rather than a snake. 

The flag, in its original styling, typically represents defiance in the face of an authoritarian government.

Fine has so far only responded to Newsom’s post as of Monday afternoon, writing on X, ‘Islam is not a race, moron. It is a religion. One where some of its New York leadership is calling for the abolition of dogs. Good luck bringing that to California.’ 

The Daily Mail has approached the Florida House of Representatives for comment.