Nancy Mace’s Endorsement of Trump Over Haley Is Pure Drama

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Congress’ resident Republican theater kid, finally doled out an endorsement for the Republican presidential primary, and it’s raising some eyebrows. After previously saying she was “cheering [Nikki Haley] on,” Mace endorsed former President Trump, telling the Associated Press on Monday that “the time has come to unite behind our nominee.” Trump, of course, isn’t the nominee yet, though he’s significantly widened his lead over Haley in New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday’s primary. But at midnight on Tuesday, Haley won all six votes in a tiny resort town in the state, giving her an early, albeit six-vote lead over Trump.

“I don’t see eye-to-eye perfectly with any candidate,” Mace said of her endorsement. “Donald Trump’s record in his first term should tell every American how vital it is he be returned to office.” Of course, to me, not seeing eye-to-eye refers to disagreements over, like, the nuances of a budget. Mind you, Mace previously blamed Trump for the events of January 6, saying on January 7, 2021, that “everything that [Trump’s] worked for … all of that, his entire legacy, was wiped out yesterday. We’ve got to start over.”

A few days after Jan. 6, Mace added, “We have to hold the president accountable for what happened. The rhetoric leading up to this vote, the lies that were told to the American people—this is what happens, rhetoric has real consequences. And people died.” She made her stance even clearer throughout January 2021, stating, “I hold [Trump] accountable for the events that transpired for the attack on our Capitol last Wednesday.”

Trump responded to such criticisms with as much pettiness as you’d expect, calling Mace “absolutely terrible” in 2022 and endorsing her Republican rival for her House seat. Ironically, Mace’s candidacy was likely saved by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s endorsement and proactive stumping for Mace through a tough race. Haley not only fundraised for Mace but also filmed a campaign ad for her. She called Mace a “fighter” and said she was “proud to endorse my congresswoman, Nancy Mace, for reelection.” Mace is now paying Haley back by endorsing a man she once blamed for the carnage and deaths of the January 6 insurrection.

Also on Monday, a Daily Beast reporter pointed out another irony: “Rape survivor Nancy Mace just endorsed Donald Trump in the middle of his second rape trial.” Mace has often cited her experience surviving child sexual abuse for some of her policy stances, like her demand for rape exceptions to abortion bans. She also explained her choice to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the Speakership for… not doing enough for women and survivors: “I made deals with Kevin McCarthy… that he has not kept to help women in this country. And we have done nothing for them,” Mace said in October. So, the spectacle of her endorsing Trump amid his second trial over defamatory statements he’s made about a woman who accuses him of rape is really something.

Why would Mace do this, you might ask??? The simple answer seems to be politics. She probably understands that her constant theatrics, between ousting McCarthy and frequently making a scene, have won her enemies within her party, and if she endorses Trump, he might endorse and save her House seat. (Can you imagine how easy it would be to primary Mace, who’s spent the last year galavanting about the halls of Congress wearing a scarlet “A,” cracking jokes about fucking her now-ex-fiancé at prayer breakfasts, and generally being a nuisance??)

So maybe Mace thinks endorsing Trump is her safest bet for a political future. But, truly, at what cost? If people in her party found her annoying before, I doubt her extreme disloyalty, hypocrisy, and baffling inconsistency will do much to endear her to them. One thing’s for sure: I doubt Haley is ever going to bail Mace out again.