Things got a bit tense at “The View” table on Wednesday, as the hosts turned on each other while discussing crime in the nation. During the discussion, host Joy Behar scolded Alyssa Farah Griffin for “exaggerating” the level of insecurity of the city.
The topic came up as the women reflected on the debate between New York gubernatorial candidates Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin on Tuesday. During the debate, Zeldin argued that Hochul is too focused on gun crime, and not addressing violent incidents happening in the city. But moderator Whoopi Goldberg argued that “crime is rough everywhere, it’s happening everywhere” and cited data indicating that murder rates are actually higher in Republican states.
She added that what she really wanted from Zeldin was a concrete plan to address and handle it.
“What is your plan Lee Zeldin? Because, we know people are getting stabbed, we know what’s happening,” Whoopi said. “We know what’s going on. What do you plan to do?”
As the discussion continued, host Sunny Hostin chimed in saying that, to her, it seems that the plan for the Republican party at large is just “fear mongering.” But conservative host Alyssa Farah Griffin took some issue with that, saying that Republicans who are campaigning on the promise to give more money to law enforcement are just offering “a response to Democrats saying defund the police.”
When Hostin pushed back herself, and said that “New York is one of the safest cities in the country,” Farah Griffin got skeptical, and from there, the hosts started bickering.
“Do you feel that though? I don’t feel safe in New York,” Farah Griffin said, speaking over Hostin. “I live in the city, I don’t feel safe in New York.”
At that, Behar jumped in, telling Farah Griffin that she isn’t fully aware of how bad crime used to be in the city, before she was born. “You’re very young. You are,” Behar said. “You’re 32 years old, was it? You know, I’ve been around, and there were worse crime rates in the 80s and the 70s. I was afraid to leave my house at some points.”
When Farah Griffin questioned that logic, saying “we shouldn’t settle” for minor improvements, Behar got a bit frustrated, scolding her for how she represented the circumstances.
“No, I’m not settling for it, but don’t exaggerate the situation!” she said.
