The Trump White House was reportedly angered after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., appeared to position herself as a potential candidate for the Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, with one senior administration official reportedly saying the White House would rather support someone “sane.”
The reported frustration came just hours after news broke Sunday morning that Graham had died, sending shockwaves through South Carolina and across the political world.
As many Republicans were still reacting to the longtime senator’s death, Mace posted a video on social media featuring Al Pacino’s well-known line from The Godfather Part III: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”
According to Axios, the post was viewed negatively inside the Trump White House, where President Donald Trump had maintained a close friendship with Graham.
A senior Trump administration official told the outlet that Trump was already not a supporter of Mace but believed her decision to present herself as a potential Senate candidate while people were still processing Graham’s death was inappropriate.
“Putting herself out as a candidate while everyone was absorbing the news of Lindsey’s death was in poor taste, even for Mace,” the official told Axios.
Another administration official was even more direct about the White House’s position should Mace advance in the race.
“If Mace ends up in a runoff, we’ll drop $2 million on her head to keep her out,” the official told the outlet. “All we want is a Republican who is sane and can work with the White House.”
The comments highlighted the apparent divide between Mace and members of Trump’s political team as Republicans begin looking ahead to filling Graham’s Senate seat.
CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten also cast doubt on Mace’s chances of securing the Republican nomination, pointing to what he described as a lack of confidence among political donors.
“Despite being well known nationally, at this point anyway, the people who are putting their money where their mouths are don’t give Nancy Mace much of a chance to win that nomination,” Enten said Monday.
Mace, who was first elected to Congress in 2020, is coming off a difficult statewide campaign. In June, she suffered a decisive defeat in South Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial primary after President Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette.
Mace finished fifth in that contest.
Meanwhile, Trump has already voiced support for an interim replacement for Graham’s Senate seat.
In a Truth Social post, the president said he had recommended Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to serve as interim senator.
“I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina. This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!” Trump wrote.
Shortly afterward, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., also endorsed Graham Nordone for the appointment.
“Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, would be a fantastic pick to serve out the remainder of the senate term,” Scott wrote in a post on X. “After speaking with Darline, there is no one better who understands Lindsey’s love for family, our state, and our country.”
Graham, 71, died Saturday night following what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.”
By Sunday morning, officials had determined his cause of death to be “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” bringing an end to the longtime South Carolina senator’s decades-long career in public service.
[READ MORE: Trump Reflects on Lindsey Graham’s Legacy, Recalls ‘One Bad Moment’ After Jan. 6]
