The co-hosts of “The View” criticized Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s decision to decline a Fox News offer to hold a town hall event on the network, with the co-hosts agreeing that Warren was shutting out a large number of voters.
“I think that it’s being very dismissive of so many Americans for her not to go on Fox News,” co-host Sunny Hostin said on Wednesday’s show. “I think there are a lot of real journalists there like Chris Wallace, like Shep Smith. I think if you want to be president of the United States for everyone, then you need to speak to everyone.”
“Fox News was the top basic cable network in April,” Hostin continued while reading out the network’s ratings data. “It finished in 2018 as the most watched basic cable network for the third consecutive year both primetime and total day viewers”
Whoopi Goldberg also said that any candidate who could not face the Fox audience wasn’t ready for office.
“People come to [‘The View’] because they know folks are watching, whether it’s on the left or the right, or center,” Goldberg said. “You know what, if you can’t face a Fox audience, you can’t face the U.S. — it’s that simple.”
In a campaign announcement on Tuesday, Warren made a forceful case for avoiding the network, which her party has already forbidden from hosting any 2020 primary debates.
“I love town halls. I’ve done more than 70 since January, and I’m glad to have a television audience be a part of them. Fox News has invited me to do a town hall, but I’m turning them down — here’s why,” Warren said in a Twitter thread. “Fox News is a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists — it’s designed to turn us against each other, risking life and death consequences, to provide cover for the corruption that’s rotting our government and hollowing out our middle class.”
Warren added that her appearance on Fox News would help it win back advertisers who have fled the network’s primetime opinion shows.
“Fox News is struggling as more and more advertisers pull out of their hate-filled space. A Democratic town hall gives the Fox News sales team a way to tell potential sponsors it’s safe to buy ads on Fox — no harm to their brand or reputation (spoiler: It’s not),” she wrote.
Fox News has already held several town halls with Democratic presidential contenders, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Warren immediately began fundraising off her decision to block Fox.
Fox News declined to comment on Warren’s decision.