In a bizarre and escalating political spat, firebrand South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace called out liberal academic and CNN guest Michael Eric Dyson for what she describes as inappropriate and “flirty” behavior following a heated on-air exchange.
The public feud between Mace and Dyson unfolded after an August 15 CNN panel where the two clashed over Vice President Kamala Harris’ name and alleged racial undertones in mispronouncing it.
According to Mace, Dyson, despite accusing her of being part of a broader racial insensitivity, sent her a series of text messages after the show that took a shockly flirtatious tone.
The original exchange began when Mace mispronounced Harris’ first name, a mistake Dyson immediately pounced on, claiming it was part of a long history of “White disregard for the humanity of Black people.”
Mace, however, shot back at Dyson, accusing him of labeling her as racist simply because of a verbal slip. The conversation devolved into a back-and-forth exchange where both repeatedly spoke over each other, with tensions running high.
After the segment, however, the tone from Dyson in private communication seemed to shift dramatically.
In text messages Mace shared on the congressional record, Dyson appeared to make light of the tense exchange, sending messages like, “Shh don’t tell anybody. We look good together!” along with laughing-out-loud and kissing emojis.
Dyson even complimented Mace on her appearance, citing her “gorgeousness.”
On Thursday, Rep. Mace took the feud to another level by entering Dyson’s text messages into the congressional record during a discussion on the broader issue of mispronouncing Vice President Harris’ name.
Mace used the moment to point out that even prominent Democrats, including Bill Clinton, Al Sharpton, and even President Joe Biden, have mispronounced Harris’ name in public.
She argued that if the left wants to make mispronunciations an issue of racism, they should apply the same standards to all public figures, not just conservatives.
“If we’re going to have that standard, you got to hold it to both sides, not just one or the other,” Mace declared on the House floor.
Her shocking move went viral, and it wasn’t long before Dyson responded publicly, launching into a blistering rebuke of Mace on social media.
In a tweet, Dyson fired back at Mace, denying any flirtatious behavior and accusing her of being a “bigot and racist.”
He suggested that Mace’s actions were fueled by what he described as “White women’s tears,” a phrase that many conservatives interpreted as both racially charged and dismissive of Mace’s legitimate concerns about Dyson’s behavior.
“The ridiculous lies told by Nancy Mace in the effort to smear my name because of her anger at being checked for her insensitive disregard for @VP … I had no intent with her to do anything but be nice,” Dyson wrote.
“And her white women’s tears and mendacity are all in the service of lies and distortions. I was wrong about one thing: she IS a bigot and racist.”
Dyson’s comments quickly drew ire from Mace, who hit back immediately, accusing him of engaging in both racism and misogyny by attributing her concerns to her identity as a White woman.
In a post on her personal X account, Mace replied, “Disregarding a woman’s feelings by attributing them solely to being a ‘white woman’ is not only racist but misogynistic.”
“His comments were inappropriate (once again),” the South Carolina lawmaker added. “Apologize, take responsibility and stop shifting blame onto the victim. ALL women are sick of this sh*t.”
She also doubled down on her congressional account, mocking Dyson’s latest “meltdown” and sarcastically awaiting “another flirty text.”
Dysome is an idiot. Got turned down leaving no room for doubt, so now she’s racist? As I said he is an idiot.