Nancy Mace lost her cool during a heated exchange at a town hall in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, snapping at a reporter who dared to ask a tough question. The South Carolina congresswoman, now running for governor, erupted after being called out for celebrating a road project funded by a bill she voted against.
Held at Veterans Café and Grill, the event was part campaign stop, part bid for a Trump endorsement. Mace kicked things off by calling herself “one of the most serious members of Congress,” before veering into conspiracy territory, vowing to ban “chemtrails” and remove fluoride from the state’s drinking water.
But the real fireworks started after the event, when a reporter challenged her over her support for an infrastructure upgrade funded through the Inflation Reduction Act — a bill Mace had opposed.
“You’re very confused,” Mace snapped, before deflecting into a rant about gender politics. “You’re a raging Democrat… a raging leftist with that kind of questioning. And I would say, as a woman, like, you might wanna think about how you view other women.”
Despite voting against the bill, Mace insisted she could still take credit for projects it funded. “It is literally our job,” she said. “Maybe you’re confused.”
The reporter wasn’t buying it. “The funding came from the Inflation Reduction Act,” she pointed out. “Which you voted against.”
“Right,” Mace said. “I mean, absolutely, I can tout that.” She argued that most of the $1.2 trillion bill was “completely wasted,” but didn’t see a problem claiming credit for the parts she liked.
Pressed again on the contradiction, Mace repeated: “This is literally a job of a member of Congress.” She wrapped up the tense exchange by telling the reporter to “read the Constitution.”
The event had already gotten off to a rocky start. A video posted on social media shows Mace’s field director ordering several attendees to leave — including a woman wearing a “GOP Against Trump” shirt.
“Out, get out!” the staffer shouted. “You’re getting out right now, you mouthed off.” A police officer was called in. “We didn’t do anything buddy, we’re standing here,” one woman responded.
Afterward, Mace said she didn’t see anyone being forced out and claimed protesters were yelling profanities at her supporters. “I didn’t see that at all,” she said. “Everyone has a First Amendment right to be here.”
But some attendees said they felt pushed out for not clapping or showing support. “I didn’t clap and I booed something, and the woman in front of me turned around and said, ‘What are you doing here?’” said Kathi Hunt, an independent voter. Her husband, David Hunt, a Democrat, said they left because they felt they’d be kicked out.
Mace’s team denied singling anyone out. “We don’t check party affiliation at the door,” said her communications director, Sydney Long. “Congresswoman Mace welcomes all viewpoints… but if you are a risk to the safety of others or harass others, you’re out.”
The town hall was Mace’s first since launching her campaign for governor — and the first since she was ridiculed for copying actress Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad. Just days earlier, Mace posted a meme of herself holding an assault rifle, captioned: “Nancy Mace for Governor has great jeans.”
At the event, she took a jab at the media. “I don’t want you to believe what the fake news is going to tell you — that Nancy Mace only does memes.”
Watch the full exchange via Forbes below.
