George Stephanopoulos’ recent interview with U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) proves the extent to which the media, rather than reporting facts and allowing informed viewers to decide for themselves, have devolved into partisan Maoist apparatchiks bent on punishing dissent. There is no other explanation for Stephanopoulos’ disgusting attempts to shame Mace, a survivor of sexual assault, for her support of former President Donald Trump.
Mace, to her credit, resisted Stephanopoulos’ multiple attempts to shame her. Here’s how the interview began (click “expand” to view full transcript):
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: 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 endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?
U.S. REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): Well, I will tell you. 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 over being raped. 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.
STEPHANOPOULOS: It's actually not about shaming you, it’s a question about Donald Trump…
MACE: No, you are shaming me.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You've endorsed Donald Trump for president.
MACE: Right.
STEPHANOPOULOS: 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. It repeated the…
MACE: 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 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- it’s not OK.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Doesn't it make it harder for women to come forward when they're defamed by presidential candidates?
MCE: It makes it harder when other women joke about it, and 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.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I'm not trying to shame you…
MACE: You are. I have dealt with this for 30 years.
STEPHANOPOULOS: …in fact, I applaud your candid…
MACE: Do you know how hard it was to tell my story 5 years ago when they were doing a fetal heartbeat bill when there were no exceptions for rape, incest -- or li- rape or incest in there? I had to tell my story because no other woman was coming forward.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m just asking…
MACE: No rape victims were represented and you're trying to shame me this morning…
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m just asking if…
MACE: …and I find it offensive and this is why women won't come forward.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Women won't come forward because they're defamed by those who perpetrate rape. Donald Trump…
MACE: They are judged and they are shamed and you’re trying to shame me this morning. I think it’s disgusting.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m not…I’m not shaming you at all. I called you “courageous”.
MACE: I told my story- it took me 25 years to tell my story, I was judged for it. I still get judged for it today.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m asking you a very simple question. Explain why…
MACE: And I answered it. You’re shaming me for my political choices.
It bears noting that Stephanopoulos first came to prominence by working for noted accused rapist Bill Clinton, who he enabled throughout his presidency and admitted, when it was convenient to do so, that he “didn’t want to know” what Clinton was really up to. Today’s disgusting interview did not escape the notice of Clinton’s most prominent victim, Juanita Broaddrick, who alleges to have endured similar rape-shaming by Stephanopoulos:
You’re not alone, Nancy. He did it to me, too, when he was Bill Clinton’s mouthpiece. https://t.co/J42ZJZrdzQ
— Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) March 10, 2024
What Nancy Mace resisted was much more than the political shaming of a rape victim due to her political choices. It was a Maoist struggle session, intended to shame a class-traitor. The class, in this instance, being rape victims which, per Stephanopoulos’ sick logic, Mace betrays by endorsing Trump over Biden.
And because Stephanopoulos viewed Mace as a class traitor, he found it entirely appropriate to lead with the question you saw in the video above. This is what immediately jumped out at me after years of watching Univision’s Jorge Ramos ask Hispanic conservatives some variant of “why do you endorse Trump despite his calling immigrants rapists and criminals?”
Mace, to her great credit, shut that nonsense down and threw it right back in Stephanopoulos’ face- which often flummoxed him and left him grasping to get back on track. Once he realized Mace wasn’t going to be shamed into submission, he let his contempt fly freely.
Imagine the thermonuclear outrage if the players were inverted, and a prominent Democrat congresswoman was asked on, say, Fox News about her endorsement of accused sexual predator Joe Biden. Our friend Bonchie has a point here:
Could you imagine the outrage if a major news anchor asked AOC about being raped and then tried to use that to shame her political opinions?
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) March 10, 2024
We'd never hear the end of it. The mediasphere would literally implode in on itself. There'd be congressional hearings.
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned interview, as aired on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, March 10th, 2024:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Our next guest is Congresswoman Nancy Mace, a Donald Trump supporter who gave candid and courageous testimony about her own experience as a rape victim weeks before launching her run for Congress in 2019.
U.S. REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): From some of us who've been raped, it can take 25 years to get up the courage and talk about being a victim of rape. And the first thing that happens when a woman comes out in public and says she's been raped, what is the first thing out of someone's mouth? Is that it didn't happen. This is why women do not come forward. They are afraid.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Congresswoman, thanks for joining us this morning. 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 endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?
U.S. REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): Well, I will tell you. 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 over being raped. 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.
STEPHANOPOULOS: It's actually not about shaming you, it’s a question about Donald Trump…
MACE: No, you are shaming me.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You've endorsed Donald Trump for president.
MACE: Right.
STEPHANOPOULOS: 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. It repeated the…
MACE: 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 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- it’s not OK.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Doesn't it make it harder for women to come forward when they're defamed by presidential candidates?
MCE: It makes it harder when other women joke about it, and 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.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I'm not trying to shame you…
MACE: You are. I have dealt with this for 30 years.
STEPHANOPOULOS: …in fact, I applaud your candid…
MACE: Do you know how hard it was to tell my story 5 years ago when they were doing a fetal heartbeat bill when there were no exceptions for rape, incest -- or li- rape or incest in there? I had to tell my story because no other woman was coming forward.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m just asking…
MACE: No rape victims were represented and you're trying to shame me this morning…
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m just asking if…
MACE: …and I find it offensive and this is why women won't come forward.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Women won't come forward because they're defamed by those who perpetrate rape. Donald Trump…
MACE: They are judged and they are shamed and you’re trying to shame me this morning. I think it’s disgusting.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m not…I’m not shaming you at all. I called you “courageous”.
MACE: I told my story- it took me 25 years to tell my story, I was judged for it. I still get judged for it today.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m asking you a very simple question. Explain why…
MACE: And I answered it. You’re shaming me for my political choices.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m not. I’m asking you a question about why you endorse someone who’s been found liable for rape. Just answer the question.
MACE: It was not a criminal court. This was- this was…
STEPHANOPOULOS: It was a civil court that found him liable for rape.
MACE: It was a civil court. And, by the way, she joked about the judgment and what she was going to do with all that money and I find that offensive.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m asking you about the man who's…
MACE: But as a rape victim who's been shamed for years now because of her rape, you're trying to shame me, again, by asking this political question.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You’ve repeated that- you’ve repeated that again and again and again.
MACE: I think it's offensive. As a woman, I find your- I find it offensive.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m asking you…
MACE: My political choices- I’ve 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 yesterday that apologized for calling her killer an illegal who was an illegal. And here you are trying to shame a rape victim. I find it disgusting.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I mean, you keep saying I'm shaming you. There’s nothing I…
MACE: You are. The questi- it’s- it is. It is.
STEPHANOPOULOS: How is the question asking you about a presidential candidate who’s been--
MACE: You're asking a rape victim.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m-- -- there's no question about that, and you are- you've courageously talked about it.
MACE: You’re questioning my political choices because I've been raped, I think that's disgusting.
STEPHANOPOULOS: No. I’m questioning your political choices because You're supporting someone…
MACE: You’re shaming me. You’re trying to shame me.
STEPHANOPOULOS: …who was found liable for rape-- actually, I'm not trying to shame you.
MACE: You are. That’s exactly what you’re doing…
STEPHANOPOULOS: You haven’t answered the question…
MACE: …and I think it's disgusting.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, you're welcome to say that but you’re also- you have to answer the question.
MACE: I did.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Why are you supporting someone who was found liable for rape?
MACE: I just answered your question.
STEPHANOPOULOS: What is the answer?
MACE: He was not- he was not found guilty in civil- in a criminal court of law. He- it was a civil- it was sexual abuse. It wasn’t actually rape, by the way. And E. Jean Carroll joked about all the money she's going to get and made a mockery out of this case. And I think that's offensive. There is a reason why women don't come forward. And when you have someone who says that they're raped and they make a mockery out of this civil court judgment, it's offensive to other women. It makes it harder for other women to come forward when another woman has made a mockery of it.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You said other women don't come forward because they are afraid. Because they are defamed by those who…
MACE: They are judged and shamed like you’re trying to shame me this morning.
STEPHANOPOULOS: They are-- they are afraid to come forward, as you said, because they are defamed by those who commit the rape.
MACE: And they are judged.
STEPHANOPOULOS: That’s what Donald Trump has been found guilty of doing.
MACE: He defended himself over that and denies that it ever happened, but he was not found guilty in a criminal court of law. It was a civil judgment over sexual abuse.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So is that the distinction you're making- a civil judgment is okay, but a criminal judgment is not?
MACE: This is different. And they didn't even input all of the evidence into the civil case either because some of the information she provided wasn't even accurate or correct. But to sit here and ask me as a rape victim- to try to shame me for my political choices is wrong. And I think it's offensive. I mean-
STEPHANOPOULOS: You can repeat that again and again and again and again…
MACE: And I'm going to because I find it deeply offensive.
STEPHANOPOULOS: …and I’ve done nothing to shame you. You don't find it offensive that Donald Trump has been found liable for rape?
MACE: I find it offensive, as a rape victim, that 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. I don’t find that funny. Rape is not funny.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You've made it perfectly clear you’re comfortable…
MACE: Rape is serious…
STEPHANOPOULOS: It is serious.
MACE: …it’s not funny, and it shouldn't be made a mockery of.
STEPHANOPOULOS: It is…
MACE: If you want to defend a woman who made a mockery out of rape, then you go ahead and do that. I’m not going to do that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, actually, what you’re doing is defending a man who's been found liable for rape. I don't understand how you can do that.
MACE: Not in a criminal court of law. This was a civil judgment over sexual abuse, not rape by the way, and she made a mockery out of it.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Can we pull up The Washington Post’s headline right there? In fact, it has been shown to be rape. The judge affirmed that it was, in fact, rape. Donald Trump was found to have committed rape. That's just a fact.
MACE: That is a civil judgment, not a criminal court. They're two very different things and you know better.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, you’ve- I- I- I just showed you the facts.
MACE: You know better.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You show that you’re very comfortable with what Donald Trump has done…
MACE: …and what you’ve done is offensive to women who have been raped. What you’ve done this morning is offensive.
STEPHANOPOULOS: We'll let the viewers decide about that. Let's talk about January 6th. You had just been sworn into Congress on January 6th. You voted to certify the election and you said Donald Trump must be held accountable for the violence right after the riot. Let's show that.
MACE: We've got to hold not only the president accountable and ensure he doesn't hold office again in the future, but also we need to hold Members of our Congress, even in my own party, accountable for the rhetoric and the actions that led up to Wednesday's events.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You said he should never hold office again, so why are you supporting his run for president?
MACE: Well, I listened to my voters. I listened to my voters in South Carolina, and they've moved beyond January 6th. I said my piece on January 6th. I was very clear about how I felt about it, and I also as you stated, I voted to certify the Electoral College for every single state in the country. But something’s happened between now and then and that was Joe Biden, and I listened to my voters. They move on. They don't ask me about January 6th. Maybe that's what you in the media- you guys talk about at your cocktail parties, but voters are not talking about it. They ask me about February 22nd, the day that Laken Riley was murdered by an illegal immigrant. They ask me about October 8th, the day that Maddie Hines, a South Carolina girl- 4-year-old girl murdered by an illegal immigrant who was deported under Donald Trump and allowed back in under Joe Biden's administration, they're talking about the over 8 million illegals who’ve come across our southern border in an invasion of our country and a actual threat to democracy allowing that to happen. That's what they talk about.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Not- not talking about January 6th doesn't mean it didn't happen. You were very clear right there. You said…
MACE: I was very clear. I just said that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You said he should never hold office again because of what happened on January 6th and what he did. You said he should be held accountable. How has he been held accountable? How are you holding him accountable?
MACE: Voters held him accountable through our Republican primaries this year. He's won overwhelmingly, America supports him. They're not looking back, they’re looking forward. Since January 6th, we’ve had three years of Joe Biden. The American people do not like or support it. You've seen the polling. You’ve cited the polling in your show today showing that Trump is beating Joe Biden on all the critical issues that the American people care about- talking about immigration, the border, inflation, et cetera. He's very strong on those issues, stronger than Joe Biden and that’s- I listened to my voters. I talk to South Carolinians every single day and they support Donald Trump. He's going to win our state overwhelmingly in November.
STEPHANOPOULOS: How have you held Donald Trump accountable for what he did on January 6th?
MACE: The American people have held him accountable through the ballot box, just as they will hold Joe Biden accountable in November at the ballot box. That’s where it’s going to be done.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And you will continue to support him even if he's convicted of a felony?
MACE: Well, here’s the thing. You know, the court cases and lawsuits, that has nothing to do with you or me or- it doesn't affect the American people. The chaos that Joe Biden has created by having a wide open border affects every single American. We see- we saw it affect Laken Riley's family on February 22nd, we’ve seen it affect Maddie Hines' family in South Carolina. We've seen the violence right here in New York, in Times Square where illegal immigrants beat up two New York Police Department cops. These things affect -- fentanyl crisis affects everybody. Ten years ago, I couldn't tell you what fentanyl was. Today? Last year, I knew two people personally who died of fentanyl overdoses. So the chaos that Joe Biden has created over the last three years has made Americans rethink who they want to have president, and we have two back-to-back presidencies to compare. They've both been president and the American people I believe right now are overwhelmingly choosing Donald Trump regardless of how you feel.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you've made it very clear you're comfortable with Donald Trump being found liable for rape and you’re comfortable with his actions on January 6th. You still support him.
MACE: I didn’t say I was comfortable. You're putting words into my mouth.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You wouldn't condemn it.
MACE: I- no, you're putting words into my mouth.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, are you comfortable with it?
MACE: I support Donald Trump for president.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you’re comfortable with it.
MACE: I just endorsed him a few weeks ago.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Even though he's been found liable for rape.
MACE: In a civil judgment, not a criminal court case. But you go ahead and keep shaming women who’ve been raped. Good luck with that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Thank you for joining us. We'll be right back.
