Congressperson Sarah McBride Knows How To Handle a Bully

As Delaware’s Sarah McBride prepares to make history as the first transgender member of Congress, she’s already facing hostility from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who introduced a resolution to bar McBride from using women’s bathrooms at the Capitol. The proposal sparked outrage among Democrats, and while my initial reaction mirrored that fury, it’s worth noting how McBride has handled the situation.

I’ll admit, I was so infuriated after seeing Mace frame the bill as a resolution against sexual assault — invoking her own status as a “rape survivor” — that, in a moment of weakness and frustration, I actually Googled, “How do you effectively deal with a bully?” The general advice: Stay calm and confident, avoid escalation, deny them the satisfaction of controlling your emotions, and lean on a support system.

McBride’s response is a masterclass in dealing with bullies. Instead of retaliating (as I would, likely with some profanity), McBride remained calm, redirecting attention to real challenges facing Americans. “We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars,” she tweeted, turning the conversation from Mace’s cruelty to meaningful issues.

McBride also called for empathy, tweeting, “Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully. I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness.”

While all this unfolded, McBride was busy at Congressperson orientation, already building her support system.

“Delawareans sent me here to make the American dream more affordable and accessible, and that’s what I’m focused on,” she said.

This is how you combat bullying. And I know! I hear folks in the back yelling, “But Michelle Obama’s ‘When they go low, we go high’ political strategy was a resounding failure.” But that’s not what McBride is doing. She’s not brushing off the cruelty — she’s flipping the script. She’s calling out Mace’s stunt as a distraction and shifting focus to real issues while sidestepping the culture wars Republicans keep accusing Democrats of starting. Her version of “going high” isn’t about staying quiet or above the fray; it’s about keeping her cool, exposing pettiness for what it is, and doing the work that actually matters.