Outgoing Republican Rep. Nancy Mace has set social media buzzing after showing off at least nine new tattoos during the debut of her YouTube show.
The 48-year-old South Carolina lawmaker appeared in a fast-paced opening sequence for Get Maced, baring her inked arms while wearing a bikini, surfing and firing an automatic weapon.
Mace first disclosed the tattoo spree in a February Politico profile, saying she got nine pieces in quick succession during a turbulent stretch that included the collapse of her engagement and the exit of her entire congressional staff.
She said the decision to get tattooed was tied to a desire to feel “the pain that I need to feel.”
Mace has framed the tattoos as part of an effort to “reclaim” her body and sense of self after trauma she has spoken about publicly, including being molested and raped as a teenager.
Among the designs is the opening line of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway: “Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.”
Her other tattoos include the word “Justice,” along with images of a saint-like figure, a lion, a bird, a flower and a sun.
Donald Trump, whom Mace has called a “father figure,” has reportedly noticed the new body art as well. According to Fits News, Trump told a group of South Carolina political figures last December that he had heard Mace had several “freaky tattoos.”
Nancy Mace revealed the new tattoos in promotional footage for her YouTube show Get Maced
Mace’s ink stunned the internet with many believing that the snaps were AI-generated
The 48-year-old South Carolinan bared her tattooed arms in a bikini during a high-octane introduction for Get Maced, featuring her surfing and firing an automatic weapon
Until last week, Mace had almost entirely concealed the work in public appearances, even as she campaigned for governor and continued serving in the House.
She finished a distant fifth in the June Republican primary for South Carolina governor after failing to win Trump’s endorsement and later passed on a potential Senate bid after the death of Lindsey Graham.
Her term ends in January 2027, leaving her without elected office for the first time in almost a decade.
The YouTube channel, where she plans to comment on daily news, already features segments on topics ranging from the WNBA to ‘radical Islam.’
In the intro video, Mace appears in a black bikini and later sleeveless at a microphone, making the tattoos impossible to miss.
Social media users reacted with a mix of shock and mockery, with some refusing to believe the images were not AI-generated. ‘What the f***,’ one X user wrote. Another said: ‘We’re living in a simulation.’
Mace has long framed her personal struggles as central to her political identity.
‘My story is I am totally broken,’ she told Politico in February. ‘I have PTSD over what I’ve been through.’
Mace firing an automatic weapon in her new YouTube promo
Trump walks from Marine One to his limousine upon his arrival at the White House on Sunday
Mace’s term ends in January 2027, leaving her without elected office for the first time in almost a decade
She has spoken repeatedly about a difficult relationship with her father, a decorated Vietnam War hero, and about suffering sexual abuse as a teenager.
The tattoos arrived amid a period of intense therapy and legal battles stemming from her February 2025 House floor speech accusing her former fiancé and three associates of sex abuse.
All four men denied the claims. Litigation continues, with Mace at times representing herself.
‘It’s just my reaction and my response,’ she said of the ink. ‘And it keeps me alive.’
Mace worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign and remained a visible ally until her support for releasing the Epstein files created distance between them.
She told NewsNation last month that the split ‘may have ended’ her future political aspirations.
With her House career winding down, the YouTube venture marks her clearest attempt to stay in the public eye on her own terms.
The promo ends with the simple declaration: ‘What happens when a Bulldog leaves Washington? She takes the fight to the people.’
