Nancy Mace is facing backlash for falsely accusing a college student of being a school shooter after mistakenly identifying his umbrella for a rifle.
The South Carolina gubernatorial hopeful, 47, on Sunday tweeted a grainy picture of the University of South Carolina student, warning her followers to be on the lookout for a “white male, black shorts, grey tshirt, backpack.”
On Sunday, the University of South Carolina issued an alert to students about a potential active shooter. The alert was lifted that evening after police determined that there was no evidence of a shooter or that any gunshots had been fired, News 19 reports. The MAGA Republican, who has a child attending the University of South Carolina, posted live updates about the situation as it was unfolding.
Mace yanked the post after being swiftly debunked by photos showing the student clutching an umbrella, not a weapon.
Now, she is under fire for potentially endangering the young student.
Nancy Mace tried to get this kid killed, by claiming he was carrying a rifle and broadcasting his photo on Twitter, when it was obviously an umbrella. In a moment of crisis, she panicked. Hysterics have no place in leadership and no place in the governor’s office. pic.twitter.com/rxjezWSszh
— Turnbull (@cturnbull1968) August 25, 2025
Fred Guttenberg—a leading gun control activist whose daughter was killed in the 2018 Parkland massacre—slammed Mace for spreading a false claim “that could have gotten someone killed.”
Right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh also mocked the MAGA Republican, tweeting, “She bravely alerted the public to the dangers of a guy carrying an umbrella.”
Wrong @NancyMace. Now would be an appropriate time to talk about how to appropriately punish you for this false post that could have gotten someone killed. As the father of Jaime, killed in the Parkland shooting, everything about you and your messaging is the problem. Seek… https://t.co/6txFRBC2jn pic.twitter.com/FVukHvhdg1
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) August 25, 2025
Rather than apologizing for the incident, Mace turned the incident into a political call to action, tweeting: “Real, or a hoax, or a mistake, now would be an appropriate time to talk about hardened security at schools of all grades, colleges and universities.”
Mace’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mace’s race for governor has suffered a few missteps, and on Thursday, she was forced to cancel a speech when just eight people showed up.
The post Nancy Mace Gets Schooled After Campus Shooter Mix-Up appeared first on The Daily Beast.
