George Stephanopolous attempts to shame Nancy Mace for Trump endorsement by invoking her own rape at 16 years old

ABC host George Stephanopoulous has faced backlash for his line of questioning to South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace over her endorsement of Donald Trump, particularly in light of her personal history as a rape survivor.

On ABC’S This Week, Stephanopoulos posed a question to Mace, referencing Trump's recent legal troubles and a civil court ruling against him in a defamation case involving E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of sexual assault. Stephanopoulous asked how Mace could endorse Trump given these accusations. 

Mace, visibly taken aback by the line of questioning, condemned Stephanopoulos's approach, calling it "disgusting" and accusing him of attempting to shame her. 

"It's a shame that you will never feel, George," Mace said. "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."

Mace went on to criticize Carroll's comments following the judgment, highlighting the negative impact such remarks can have on victims of sexual assault.

"And quite frankly, E. Jean Carroll's comments when she did get the judgment,' Mace continued, "joking about what she was going to buy, makes it harder for women to come forward when they make a mockery of rape. When they joke about it. It's not okay." 

Mace was referring to comments Carroll made on The Rachel Maddow Show following the court ruling. There, Carroll joked about Trump being fined, telling Maddow that the two of them are going to go on a shopping spree with the money she was awarded.

"First thing, Rachel, you and I are gonna go shopping!" Carroll jokingly said. "We're gonna get complete new wardrobes, new shoes, motorcycle for [Carroll's attorney Shawn] Crowley, a new fishing rod for Robbie [Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan] — Rachel, what do you want? A penthouse? It's yours, Rachel! Penthouse and France? You want France? You want to go fishing in France? No?"
 

Mace, who herself was raped at the age of 16, has been a vocal advocate for victims of sexual assault during her time in office, notably advocating for abortion exceptions for cases of rape and incest. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations, which emerged decades after the alleged incident.