Though the hosts of “The View” were surprisingly chipper immediately following the result of the election this week, things have since gotten a bit heated as the women debate what went wrong for Democrats. On Friday, the ABC hosts butted heads over the idea that Dems were too “condescending” to the working class.
To kick off the show, the women debated Sen. Bernie Sanders’ response to the results, which was a scathing indictment of the party that said “it should come as no surprise” that the working class “abandoned” them in this election. For host Alyssa Farah Griffin, “He’s absolutely right, but his solutions are wrong.”
“I was someone who, I’m recognizing, reflecting on this election, I had the privilege of saying I’m voting on democracy because I’m a high income earner,” she said. “If your check engine light is on and you’ve got bills piling up on the table, you’re not thinking about democracy.”
Of course, the idea of voting for President-elect Donald Trump based solely on the idea that he’s going to help the economy — something leading economists have already said isn’t true — rather than looking out for the marginalized groups he intends to attack immediately with Project 2025 didn’t sit well with host Sunny Hostin.
“I think the more relevant question actually is, what is wrong with America?” she said. “I think, what is wrong with our country, that the Republican Party would choose as a candidate and support a candidate who is an insurrectionist, who is an election denier, who is someone who is twice-impeached, 34-time convicted felon, someone who has been accused of alleged sexual misconduct by 26 women, found liable for sexual abuse?”
“What is wrong with this country that they would choose a message of divisiveness, of xenophobia, of racism, of misogyny, over a message of inclusiveness, a message for the people, by the people, of the people,” Hostin added.
Host Joy Behar agreed, but also pointed out that Democrats are also the ones who have prioritized social security, medicare and more.
“Well, clearly they didn’t convince the voters of that!” Farah Griffin shot back, saying that the overall messaging of Dems “sounded elitist.”
Host Sara Haines agreed, saying that Democrats were often “condescending” to voters. That said, Haines didn’t blame President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris for that, but rather the party at large, going back long before either of them were 2024 candidates.
At that, Hostin cut in to say, “You don’t blame the Republican party at all?” and Haines got testy.
“Can I just finish my point, please?” she said irritatedly. “I obviously have a problem — anyone has a problem with Donald Trump! The bigger question should be, yes, Sunny, why did they vote for him?”
When Hostin suggested that the answer should come from introspective Trump voters, rather than introspective Democrats, both Haines and Farah Griffin got even more agitated.
You can watch the full debate in the video above.
