CNN anchors took turns this week ridiculing Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) for shamelessly debasing herself in front of Trump Tower and pledging her undying loyalty to former President Donald Trump, calling her “thirsty” and noting “one only gives up one’s own dignity willingly.”
As a first-term congresswoman, Mace has run afoul of her MAGA colleagues and Trump himself over her criticism of the more extreme elements of her party. She drew the ire of the twice-impeached ex-president just days into her tenure, blaming him for the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and saying he “put all of our lives at risk” by inciting the rioters with his false election rhetoric.
Mace, however, was not one of the handful of Republican House members who voted for Trump’s impeachment after the Capitol attack. And while she has occasionally pushed back against some of the far-right members of her party, she has also tried to thread the needle and appeal to Trumpism throughout her first term.
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In the end, though, Trump remained unmoved and endorsed GOP candidate Katie Arrington on Wednesday in her bid to unseat Mace, calling the congresswoman “an absolutely terrible candidate” who has been “disloyal” to the Republican Party.
The following day, Mace trekked to Trump Tower in New York City and posted a video of herself swearing an oath of allegiance to Trump.
“I remember in 2015 when President Trump announced his run, I was one of his earliest supporters,” she said in a video posted to her Twitter account. “I actually worked for the campaign in 2016, I worked in seven different states across the country to help get him elected. I supported him again in 2020 because of policies I believed in.”
With Trump’s building in the background, Mace continued to heap praise on the disgraced ex-president while pleading with him to rethink his endorsement of Arrington and choose her instead.
Needless to say, the Mace’s cringeworthy abasement quickly drew mockery—and CNN stars soon jumped aboard that train.
On his primetime CNN broadcast Thursday night, Don Lemon first brought up Mace’s criticism of Trump immediately after the Jan. 6 attacks, noting that she told CNN at the time that “his entire legacy was wiped out” because of the insurrection. He also aired a clip of her on NBC’s Meet the Press last year saying she is a “new voice” for the GOP because she’s “been speaking out so strongly against” Trump.
“Fast-forward to today. In the wake of the former president’s endorsement of her primary opponent, Nancy Mace stood outside of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York City,” the anchor stated. “Remember when he said he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and not lose any voters? She stood up and said this.”
After playing the lawmaker’s Trump Tower video, Lemon turned to the camera.
“Someone give her a glass of water,” he laughed, before whispering: “Thirsty, thirsty. A little thirsty.”
The next morning on CNN’s New Day, co-anchors John Berman and Brianna Keilar welcomed on their colleague Jake Tapper to discuss a whole host of hot-button political issues. Towards the end of the conversation, they ended up tossing some light mockery Mace’s way while discussing her latest antics.
“It’s a big change, Jake,” Berman proclaimed after contrasting her Meet the Press appearance with her Trump Tower clip.
“Yeah. I recognize the first individual in that video, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, who a lot of people thought was going to be a fresh face and a new beginning for the Republican Party,” Tapper replied.
“And the only thing I’ll say about that last video is one only gives up one’s own dignity willingly,” The Lead anchor deadpanned. “It can’t be taken from you. It only can be given up if you are willing to give it up.”
