South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace, 48, showed off her numerous arm tattoos on her recently launched YouTube podcast. How writes NewsNation, some observers saw this as a possible reaction to the Republican's breakup with US President Donald Trump. A few months earlier, during the internal party fight for the nomination for governor of South Carolina, Trump supported her rival, the state's lieutenant governor, Pamela Evett. Based on the results of the primaries, Mace took fifth place.
While working in Congress, Mace appeared in long sleeves, but after finishing her campaign for governor of South Carolina, she decided to openly show off her tattoos in her new show, Get MACED. Next January, she will leave her post in the House of Representatives, as her gubernatorial nomination has left her unable to seek re-election.
In the video's intro, Mace appears in revealing clothing. On one hand is the word Justice (“Justice”), next to which a lion and the Virgin Mary are depicted. On the other, plant motifs, birds and the sun are visible. Another tattoo contains the first phrase from Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway: “Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.”
Users speculated that her new look could be a response to her breakup with Trump. The congresswoman herself denied this in an interview with NewsNation, saying that the tattoos symbolize her “life path,” as well as her commitment to freedom of speech and the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
“We agree on some things and disagree on others. This is the beauty of debate, democracy, the First Amendment and free speech. Even if he agrees or disagrees with me on an issue like the Epstein Files, I will always stand by my principles, which are consistent with the values of the voters of the state I represent,” she told NewsNation.
Mace added that she still hasn’t shown off some of her tattoos and noted that “it’s impossible to do just one” and stop.
Mace got her first nine tattoos around 2023-2024 amid a personal and professional crisis—at that time she was going through the dissolution of her engagement, and a significant part of her staff in Congress left. The congresswoman previously spoke about this in an interview with Politico.
Amid the increased attention to her new image, Mace also stated on social networks that her appearance should not become a news item.
“My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been touched by my sleeves. This afternoon I made the mistake of opening social media. Some of you have completely lost control of yourself. My biceps shouldn't be news. There are far more important things to worry about,” Mace wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Last year, Mace became one of four House Republicans who joined Democrats in pushing the U.S. Justice Department to release materials in the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In addition, this initiative was supported by Thomas Massey from Kentucky, Lauren Boebert from Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia.
Only Boebert will continue to fight for re-election to Congress in November. Greene resigned after a conflict with Trump, and Massie lost the primaries under similar circumstances to Mace – Trump supported his competitor.
