Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace had a tense exchange with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos over her political choices as a rape victim, slamming him for “shaming” her.
Mace appeared on ABC’s “This Week” to discuss her support of former President Donald Trump as Stephanopoulos highlighted Trump’s previous civil case with writer E. Jean Carroll, who claimed the former president had sexually assaulted her. Stephanopoulos questioned how the South Carolina representative could support Trump as a rape victim, to which Mace immediately called out his question.
Mace noted that Carroll’s case against Trump was not only decided in a civil court but also emphasized that the writer’s comments, in which she stated she would be going on a shopping spree with her awarded money, made a “mockery out of rape.” (RELATED: Trump Posts $91 Million Bond As He Appeals E. Jean Carroll Verdict)
“You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape. How do you square your support for Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?” Stephanopoulos questioned.
“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. 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. 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,” Mace stated.
“It’s actually not about shaming you. It’s a question about Donald Trump,” Stephanopoulos pushed back.
“You are shaming me,” Mace pressed.
“You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Donald Trump has been found liable for rape by a jury. Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury. It’s been affirmed by a judge. He’s repeatedly —” Stephanopoulos responded.
“It was not a criminal court case, number one. Number two, I live with shame, and you’re asking me a question about my political choices trying to shame me as a rape victim and I find it disgusting. And quite frankly, E. Jean Carroll’s comments, when she did get the judgment joking about what she was going to buy, it doesn’t — it makes it harder for women to come forward when they make a mockery out of rape. When they joke about it. It’s not okay,” Mace stated.
“Doesn’t it make it harder for women to come forward when they’re defamed by presidential candidates?” Stephanopoulos questioned.
“It makes it harder when other women joke about it. And she’s joked about it. I find it offensive,” Mace pressed.
While the two continued to go back and forth, Stephanopoulous refused to ease up on the congresswoman and dug into his stance that Trump was found guilty of raping Carroll, asking a producer to pull up a headline from the Washington Post.
“I just showed you the facts —” Stephanopoulos responded.
“You know better,” Mace repeated.
“You should’ve you’re very comfortable with what Donald Trump has done —” Stephanopoulos jabbed back.
“And what you’ve done is offensive to women who have been raped. What you’ve done this morning is offensive,” Mace stated.
“We’ll let the viewers decide about that,” Stephanopoulos stated.
Carroll was awarded a total of $83.3 million in late January in damages after suing the former president for defamation, which resulted in two separate lawsuits. In her case, Carroll claimed that Trump made defamatory statements about her in 2019 and called her a “whack job” during a CNN town hall. The writer was awarded $65 million in punitive damages and $18.3 million in compensatory damages by the jury.
However, Carroll stated in June 2019 that not only does she not consider herself a victim but that she had “not been raped,” following a release of her book that claimed Trump had sexually assaulted her.