Nancy Mace: "It's Offensive That Sarah McBride Thinks [She's] My Equal"

In recent days, Republican Lawmakers have announced that the first trans congresswoman will be banned from bathrooms. Now, Nancy Mace makes it clear that it was never about "danger."

Nancy Mace on Greg Kelly Reports

Over the past several days, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Republican leadership have escalated their attacks on Sarah McBride, the Democratic representative from Delaware and the first transgender congresswoman, targeting her over bathroom and gym use. The fight culminated on Wednesday when Speaker Mike Johnson declared that McBride would be treated as a man under House rules, forcing her to use men’s restrooms or gender-neutral facilities—despite her having used women’s restrooms for a decade without incident. While Mace tried to justify her actions with claims of “safety,” even suggesting McBride might be a threat of sexual assault, her true motives became crystal clear during an appearance on Greg Kelly Reports. Dropping all pretense, Mace declared it “offensive” that McBride could ever dare to consider herself her equal.

“It is offensive that a man in a skirt could ever think [she’s] my equal, that |her| challenges are the same as mine. They’re not. [She’s] forcing [her] genitals into women’s restrooms, into dressing rooms, into locker rooms. It’s sick, it’s twisted, you showed that clip… the left celebrating mental illness.”

Watch the video here:

Mace’s inflammatory remarks came after Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed McBride would be treated as a man under House rules, citing his authority to maintain “general control” over Capitol facilities. These statements followed McBride’s announcement that, while she disagreed with the rules, she would comply with them. Yet Mace’s rhetoric laid bare a deeper animosity—one that no amount of victory or concession could satisfy. The mere presence of McBride, a transgender lawmaker, as an equal is enough to drive them into outrage.

It’s worth noting that McBride represents just as many people as Mace—actually, more. McBride received 282,000 votes, significantly outpacing Mace’s 169,000. While Mace represents South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, with a population of 734,000, McBride represents the entire state of Delaware, home to one million people. On the House floor, every representative wields equal voting power. McBride has as much right to represent her constituents as Mace does.

Several Democrats defended McBride and condemned Republican leadership on Wednesday evening. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) highlighted the absurdity and hazards of enforcing such policies, stating, “The idea that Nancy Mace wants little girls and women to drop trou… in front of who, an investigator? If a woman doesn’t look woman enough to a Republican, they want to be able to inspect your genitals to use a bathroom? It’s disgusting. Everyone should reject it completely… they’re endangering women, they’re endangering girls of all kinds, and everyone should reject it. It’s gross.”

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) voiced his support for McBride on Bluesky, writing, “There’s no job I’m afraid to lose if it requires me to degrade anyone. If that’s a defining issue for a voter, there will be a different candidate. We have a bathroom in my office that anybody is welcome to use, including Representative-elect Sarah McBride.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) delivered a sharp rebuke of Nancy Mace, stating, “[She’s a] huge attention getter, so this is part of her attention-getting fetish… I just don’t understand why bathrooms are top of mind for her, why she’s thinking about where future members are going to piss and sh*t.”

Republican leadership's targeting of transgender individuals in the Capitol shows no signs of abating. Speaker Mike Johnson's decision to classify Rep. Sarah McBride as male under House rules extends beyond her, affecting transgender staffers and visitors who lack private offices and may now struggle to find appropriate restroom facilities. Compounding this, Rep. Nancy Mace has introduced a federal bill aiming to ban transgender individuals from using bathrooms on all federally owned properties, including VA hospitals, museums, and major D.C. airports like Dulles and Reagan. This legislation could significantly impact transgender individuals, particularly in Washington, D.C., which has one of the highest transgender populations in the United States.

While the targeting of transgender people under a Trump administration was expected, the speed and intensity of these attacks are chilling. Many Democrats have rallied to defend McBride, but the silence from moderate Democrats—those who were directly targeted by anti-transgender ads during the election—remains. The question now is whether they will stand firm against the coming tide of discriminatory legislation or capitulate to a fear campaign that will not stop with Sarah McBride. Optimistic claims that Republican attacks on McBride might alienate moderate Republican legislators have yet to materialize in any meaningful way, particularly in states dominated by Republican supermajorities. Meanwhile, transgender Americans are left to brace for impact, preparing for what promises to be a relentless and grueling four years.