Late-night host Bill Maher engaged in a lively exchange with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) concerning her change in stance towards Donald Trump’s presidency.
Maher pointed out Mace’s previous criticism of Trump post-January 6 insurrection, stating she was “very hard” on him during that time.
Appearing as a panelist on Real Time with Bill Maher, Mace attributed her shift towards Trump in recent years to her dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden and his policies, describing his administration as “that bad.”
In response, Maher questioned whether Mace’s newfound support for Trump might be influenced by the shifting demographics of her congressional district.
“When you ran in 2020, you won by one point. Then they redistricted your area, and I think it was less Black people, and then you won in 2022 by 14 points,” Maher stated. “Does that explain the shift in your politics? Because you used to be a little more to the middle.”
Asserting that she remains unchanged since her last conversation with Maher, Mace emphasized that her widened victory margin in 2022 stemmed from her vigorous advocacy for women’s rights, particularly after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“But you did switch on Trump. I mean, after Jan. 6. I could read you the quotes. You were very hard on him,” Maher reacted, referencing Mace’s highly critical comments about Trump following the Capitol riots.
“I was very hard. I didn’t like it,” she replied, prompting Maher to quote her previously saying “we need to find a way to hold” Trump accountable for the attack on the Capitol.
“That’s not where you are now,” Maher added.
“Well, we’ve had three years of Joe Biden,” the South Carolina lawmaker shot back.
During the discussion, Maher, also inquiring about Mace’s rumored inclusion on Trump’s list of potential running mates, questioned her hypothetical response to Trump’s request to reject the certification of the 2020 election results had she been vice president on January 6th.
“Would you have done what Mike Pence did that made Trump so angry?” Maher wondered.
“I certified the Electoral College in every single state,” she responded. “I mean, that was the right thing to do, the constitutional thing to do. And I would do it again, 100 percent.”
Maher, meanwhile, jokingly warned Mace,
“Donald Trump sometimes ‘accidentally’ watches this show,” adding that “he won’t be happy with that answer.”
In another part of the conversation, Maher raised Mace’s intense exchange with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos.
During the interview, Mace, a survivor of sexual assault, accused Stephanopoulos of attempting to “shame a rape victim” by questioning her endorsement of Trump despite his past allegations of sexual abuse.
Mace has persisted in her criticism of the This Week host, even taking her grievances to a House hearing.
“He was questioning you about the idea that you’re supporting Trump, who was found guilty of sexual assault by a jury in New York in the E. Jean Carroll case, and you’re a rape victim yourself. And I guess his implication was that in being so, you should not support someone who was convicted of this crime.”
Mace, for her part, said,
“Trump wasn’t convicted of sexual assault” and instead was found liable for defamation and sexual abuse in a civil case.
“The $83 million was a defamation suit. It was about defamation,” she continued. “There was a sexual abuse claim, and she got a little bit for that, but the vast majority of it was for defamation, not rape, not sexual assault.”
