President Barack Obama noted Wednesday while speaking at the Islamic Society of Baltimore that the rumors about him being a secret Muslim were leveled against one of the country’s founders, too.
“Thomas Jefferson’s opponents tried to stir things up by suggesting he was a Muslim. So I was not the first,” Obama said, trailing off to laughter.
“No, it’s true. Look it up,” he said. “I’m in good company.”
The event marked the first time he visited a U.S. mosque while in office. Obama assured American Muslims that they should feel appreciated in the country regardless of the heated rhetoric directed at them by some Republican presidential candidates.