Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Sunday was unable to offer a coherent defense for Donald Trump in light of a civil judgment that found him liable for sexual abuse, so in lieu of one, she tried to turn the tables against George Stephanopoulos in an explosive on-air exchange.
Stephanopoulos brought up Trump’s legal woes to Mace on This Week, questioning how she could endorse the former president whom a jury found liable for the rape of writer E. Jean Carroll. Mace, herself a victim of sexual assault, refused to even engage with the question, instead accusing the ABC host of trying to “shame” a rape victim.
“I will tell you that I was raped at the age of 16, and any rape victim will tell you I’ve lived for 30 years with an incredible amount of shame,” Mace said. “I didn’t come forward because of that judgment and shame that I felt, and it’s a shame that you will never feel, George, and I’m not going to sit here on your show and be asked a question meant to shame me about another potential rape victim. I’m not going to do that.”
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Stephanopoulos defended his question and, in turn, noted how Mace endorsed a candidate who’s been found liable for both sexual abuse and for defaming his victim. Throughout the interview, Mace stuck to accusing the ABC host of “shaming” her and insisting the multiple verdicts against Trump do not matter because they were not in criminal court.
“I find it offensive,” Mace added. “As a woman, I find it offensive. I endorsed the man that I believe is best for our country. It’s not Joe Biden, and you looked at the dueling rallies yesterday in Georgia. Laken Riley’s family was with Donald Trump. They weren’t with Joe Biden, the same guy who apologized for calling her killer an illegal, who was an illegal. And here you are trying to shame a rape victim.”
That didn’t necessarily square with Mace’s past repudiation of the former president. Stephanopoulos brought up Mace’s comments following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in which she said Trump should not hold office again and needed to be held accountable for the insurrection. Mace said voters have held Trump accountable during the GOP primaries and they’ve moved on from the events of Jan. 6.
“You’ve made it clear you’re comfortable with Donald Trump being found liable for rape and Jan. 6,” Stephanopoulos tersely noted.
With their conversation growing increasingly hostile, Mace raised the “shame” accusation again, accusing Stephanopoulos of “shaming women who’ve been raped.” She pointed added a “Good luck with that” before Stephanopoulos cut off the interview.
Mace tried to have the final word on social media, however, attacking the ABC News star in an X post for his line of questioning, still not answering the original question of why she’d endorse someone found liable for sexual abuse.
“I was brought on to talk about 2024…instead Clinton crony turned fake journalist @Gstephanopoulos attacked me and tried to shame me as a rape victim,” she wrote. “Gross.”
Carroll added her thoughts on the exchange in a post on X later. Instead of taking sides, she thanked Stephanopoulos and sent only good feelings toward Mace.
“Thank you, @GStephanopoulos for valiantly defending me. I wish Representative @RepNancyMace well. And I salute all survivors for their strength, endurance, and holding on to their sanity,” she wrote.
