President Donald Trump has taken aim at former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, accusing him of promoting Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) in the South Carolina primary race.
Trump said Ryan is now using his position as a Fox News board member to help Mace over her primary challenger, who is backed by the 45th president.
“Fox News is putting on the terrible Nancy Mace of South Carolina at every opportunity they get,” Trump said.
“Fox Board Member (too bad!) Paul Ryan is pushing her so hard it’s ridiculous.
“She’s nasty, disloyal, and bad for the Republican Party.
“Her opponent, Katie Arrington, is wonderful and will do a much better job for both South Carolina and the Republican Party.
“Katie Arrington has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Trump recently held a rally in South Carolina where he targeted Mace and another GOP Rep. Tom Rice (Trump endorsed Rice’s primary challenger).
“You currently have two atrocious RINOs, they’re bad people, in the House who went to Washington, sold you out, and partnered with the Democrats to stab the Republican Party and frankly to stab our country in the back,” Trump said.
“He is respected by no one,” Trump said of Rice before calling him “a disaster” who is “laughed at in Washington.”
Trump said Mace is “crazy” and “a terrible person” who “has no idea what she’s doing.”
“Thankfully this June you have the chance to dump these grandstanding losers and replace them with two rock-solid, America first champions,” he said.
NEW!
President Donald J. Trump:
“Fox News is putting on the terrible Nancy Mace of South Carolina at every opportunity they get. Fox Board Member (too bad!) Paul Ryan is pushing her so hard it’s ridiculous. She’s nasty, disloyal, and bad for the Republican Party. Her… pic.twitter.com/HEwzYN9GRF
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) March 17, 2022
opponent, Katie Arrington, is wonderful and will do a much better job for both South Carolina and the Republican Party. Katie Arrington has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) March 17, 2022
From AP:
Together, the pair represent South Carolina’s nearly 200-mile coastline. But the contours of their districts offer different political challenges.
Mace, for instance, represents a red-leaning district anchored in Charleston and its booming suburbs, home to a mixture of moderate Republicans, Democrats and Trump loyalists. She’s used that to her advantage by warning that a Democrat could carry the district if Republicans nominate someone too far to the right.
She has history on her side. In 2018, Katie Arrington, her Trump-endorsed rival, successfully knocked off incumbent GOP Rep. Mark Sanford, who was sometimes an antagonist to the then-president. But Arrington went on to lose the general election to Democrat Joe Cunningham, a stinging loss for the GOP.
Mace took back the district in 2020, and Cunningham is now waging an uphill campaign for governor.
In the video outside Trump Tower, Mace called out Arrington’s 2018 loss and said she’s “more than qualified” to lose the seat again to a Democrat.
