Shame, shame, shame: Nancy Mace spars with George Stephanopoulos
The ABC host tried to get her to explain her backing Trump.
In an interview that started off combative and went downhill from there, Rep. Nancy Mace repeatedly accused ABC host George Stephanopoulos of shaming her as a rape victim for supporting former President Donald Trump.
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Mace lambasted Stephanopoulos from the get-go when he challenged about her endorsement of Trump: “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 deflected any attempt from Stephanpoulos to get her to condemn Trump for his sexual misconduct or explain any inconsistency in Mace supporting Trump despite her own well-established personal history. Mace was raped at age 16 and, as an elected official, has pushed for exceptions for rape and incest in abortion laws, among other things.
Mace based her argument on two main points: That Trump was not convicted in a criminal trial (as opposed to a civil trial) and that E. Jean Carroll, who has been awarded millions in lawsuits against Trump, deserved condemnation for the way in which she spoke about the money she was awarded.
“She’s joked about it. I find it offensive and I also find it offensive that you are trying to shame me with this question,” Mace said.
Stephanopoulos repeatedly denied attempting to belittle her, saying he was trying to clarify what he saw as an inconsistent position.
“I’m asking a very simple question,” he said at one point, to which she again argued that he was shaming and belittling her. The two went back and forth along those lines for several minutes.
He asked again later: “You don’t find it offensive that Donald Trump has been found liable for rape?”
“I find it offensive that as a rape victim you’re trying to shame me for my political choices and I’ve said again, repeatedly, E. Jean Carroll has made a mockery out of rape by joking about it,” Mace said.