Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) strongly criticized George Stephanopoulos on Sunday following his inquiry on ABC News about reconciling her support for former President Donald Trump with her disclosure of being a rape survivor.
“I refuse to engage in a conversation intended to shame me, or any other possible rape survivor, on your program. That’s not something I will entertain,” Mace asserted on “This Week.”
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.
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) March 10, 2024
Gross.@ThisWeekABC pic.twitter.com/9uNhypsZdO
The intense exchange commenced as ABC aired a clip from 2019 featuring Mace discussing the challenges faced by women, like herself, in publicly addressing rape.
Stephanopoulos then pressed the congresswoman to justify her backing of Trump in light of her personal experiences and the former president’s legal entanglements regarding sexual misconduct and defamation, particularly citing the case involving E. Jean Carroll.
Despite Mace’s objections, Stephanopoulos persisted in seeking a response, rejecting any insinuation of humiliation while she contended otherwise.
Mace vehemently denounced the question as “offensive” and “disgusting,” decrying the implication that her political stance was influenced by her past trauma.
Throughout the discourse, Mace highlighted that the ruling against Trump stemmed from a civil lawsuit rather than criminal charges, and criticized Carroll’s demeanor regarding the settlement money.
Expressing her rationale for supporting a presidential candidate in the 2024 election, Mace affirmed her endorsement of someone she deemed best for the nation, unequivocally not Joe Biden.
The interview later pivoted to Stephanopoulos probing Mace about her stance on the January 6, 2021 Capitol breach, showcasing her previous comments advocating for Trump’s accountability and disqualification from holding office again.
When questioned about her current support for Trump, Mace attributed it to her constituents’ sentiments in South Carolina, asserting that they have moved past the events of January 6.
Additionally, Mace highlighted her constituents’ concerns regarding the border crisis under President Joe Biden, citing instances of American citizens purportedly killed by undocumented immigrants.
As the interview concluded, Stephanopoulos suggested that Mace seemed to condone Trump’s legal troubles and actions on January 6, to which Mace refuted, accusing him of misrepresentation.
Following the interview, Mace took to social media to share the full footage and continued to criticize Stephanopoulos, referencing his past association with Bill Clinton and the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Rape victims go through enough trauma, pain and shame as it is. It's an abomination for a guy like this to try to shame me for my political choices as a rape victim. https://t.co/f3ZjXEgfGb
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) March 10, 2024
I’m not going to be shamed for being raped by a guy who worked for a President who wagged his finger and lied to the American people about having oral sex with an intern in the Oval Office…
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) March 10, 2024
STFU @GStephanopoulos https://t.co/xq8NVqgQin
I was asked to speak on 2024 today, NOT my own rape. I’ve carried this shame for 30 years, a shame George Stephanopolous will never know. I don’t need @gstephanopolous “mansplaining” rape to me or shaming me on national TV for being a survivor of rape. https://t.co/f3ZjXEgfGb
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) March 10, 2024
“In today’s discussion on 2024, I was unexpectedly confronted with my own past trauma, rather than the topic at hand. For 30 years, I’ve carried this burden, a burden George Stephanopoulos will never comprehend,” Mace expressed in a post on X from her personal profile. “I don’t require [Stephanopoulos] ‘mansplaining’ the experience of rape to me or subjecting me to public shame as a survivor.”
In another post, she remarked, “I was invited to provide insights on 2024…only to be attacked and shamed by [Stephanopoulos], a former ally of the Clintons turned pseudo-journalist. Appalling.”
