Nancy Mace Roasted Over 'Trans Mice' Rant as Community Note Sets Record Straight — 'The Dumbest Member of Congress'
Nancy Mace sparked backlash after posting about so-called 'trans mice' on X.
June 21 2026, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
Rep. Nancy Mace found herself at the center of a social media firestorm after railing against so-called "trans mice" and introducing legislation aimed at ending federal funding for certain animal research, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Critics quickly piled on after her post received a community note explaining that "trans mice" are not transgender animals but rather transgenic mice used in scientific research.
'No Trans Mice'
The congresswoman promoted her proposed TRANS MICE Act in a viral social media post.
The South Carolina congresswoman sparked backlash after posting an image of a mouse touching a human hand alongside the message: "NO TRANS MICE."
"Animals should not be used for radical transgender experiments," Mace wrote on X. "This is not science. This is ideological cruelty paid for by the American taxpayers."
She promoted her proposed TRANS MICE Act, writing: "Our TRANS MICE Act ends it. No federal funds may be used to conduct, support, or fund research aimed at altering an animal's biological sex. No hormones. No surgeries. No taxpayer dollars spent mutilating animals in the name of transgender ideology."
Mace thought the mice were being used for transgender studies.
Community Note Strikes Back
A community note clarified that transgenic mice are not transgender animals.
Mace's post was soon hit with a community note explaining that "trans mice" refers to transgenic mice, a common scientific term unrelated to transgender issues.
"'Trans mice' refers to transgenic mice, not transgender mice," the note stated. "Transgenic mice are defined as mice that have incorporated foreign DNA into their genome, allowing for the study of gene function and disease mechanisms, particularly in cancer research."
Mace Doubles Down
Mace insisted critics misunderstood the purpose of her legislation.
Rather than backing away from the controversy, Mace insisted critics had misunderstood her argument.
"This post is not about transgenic mice. It is about federally funded transgender-related experiments on animals," she wrote. "The bill is called the Transgender Research on Animals Now Stops and Money for Ideological Cruelty Eliminated Act, also known as the TRANS MICE Act."
She added that the community note was addressing "a completely different topic," though many online observers remained unconvinced.
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'English is Hard'
Scientists and researchers mocked the controversy across social media.
The internet responded mercilessly.
Journalist Molly Jong-Fast wrote: "Transgenic mice are laboratory animals that have had foreign DNA, such as a human gene or a specific genetic marker, artificially inserted into their genome. They are used for scientific testing."
Others were far less charitable.
"As someone who works with transgenic mouse models for cancer research, this is objectively one of the funniest things I've seen a real-life politician post," one user wrote.
"The dumbest member of Congress, which is really saying something," another critic declared.
Someone else added: "It's depressingly funny that these people don't understand the word transgenic. Transgenic research is how we now have mass-produced insulin. Nobody is making trans'gender' mice. Wtf."
One commenter mocked the confusion with a language lesson: "Translation: Not transgender. Transmission: Not transgender. Transportation: Not transgender. Transatlantic: Not transgender. Transgenic: Also not transgender. English is hard."
