Nancy Mace

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Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is reflecting on her messy breakup with President Donald Trump, stemming from her push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, which she says may have “ended” her political career following her failed gubernatorial bid.

“It may have ended my political career,” the South Carolina lawmaker told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo on Monday, according to a clip obtained by Mediaite.

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Mace took on a crucial role in the congressional push to fully release the Epstein files in late 2025, subsequently breaking with her own party leadership in the process.

She finished fifth in her state’s Republican primary for governor last month in her attempt to succeed term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster (R). In May, Trump slighted Mace in the Palmetto State’s gubernatorial campaign by endorsing Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, a move that Mace said heavily thwarted her subsequent campaign.

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“Let’s be honest, I didn’t go to Washington to take orders from anybody, which is why you do see me scuffle from time to time, which is why I do call out Democrats and Republicans alike,” she continued. “I have a history of doing that.”

She added, “I’ve loved doing that too, Chris, but that’s part of the way politics is. You win some, you lose some.”

Mace made the remarks after Cuomo mentioned her “righteous break” with Trump over the Epstein files, adding that Trump does not view her as someone who “does what he tells them to do.”

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Elsewhere in the interview, Mace admitted to getting her “butt beat in the governor’s race.”

“Those are all things that you sort of weigh,” she added.

Mace’s comments came after she publicly eyed Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat after he died on Saturday.

However, on Monday, McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone (R), to serve out her late brother’s term, which expires in January.