First things first: It is absolutely the case that the harassment of Sarah McBride, the newly elected Democratic representative from Delaware, is rooted in Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., having an insatiable desire for attention. Mace's narcissism is legendary even by Capitol Hill standards. In one of the juicier exposés in recent memory, the Daily Beast reported that the congresswoman's "abusive" behavior created a "toxic" work environment that eventually led to a total staff turnover in the space of a couple of months. Mace's latest bid for camera time was purchased by introducing a bill that might as well be titled the "Sarah McBride Defamation Act" because it only targets one person and lies about her.
McBride is trans, and Mace is using this as an excuse to put forward a bill barring McBride from using the women's restroom on Capitol Hill. Mace shamelessly claims to be afraid of McBride. "I know how vulnerable women and girls are in private spaces, so I'm absolutely 100% going to stand in the way of any man who wants to be in a women's restroom," she said, lying about McBride's gender. Notably, Mace loudly supported Donald Trump's presidential bid, despite a 2023 jury finding him civilly liable for sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room. As Tim Miller at the Bulwark argues, "Nancy Mace doesn't really feel unsafe," and "it's all farce" and a bid to get attention by being a bully.
