The View hosts had a lot to say about Donald Trump‘s highly controversial appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention during Thursday’s (August 1) new live episode.
The group reviewed a reel of some of the highlights (er, lowlights) of the event, with Trump claiming that his 2024 presidential race rival Kamala Harris only recently “became Black” after promoting her Indian American heritage, which was declared false immediately by the journalists interviewing him on the stage. Then, they showcased Harris’ reaction in which she declared, “The American people deserve better.”
Whoopi Goldberg was the first to speak to the issue: “You know what? I refuse. I refuse because this is nothing new. This is not new. We knew this was who he was. This is always bad. So I’m not paying him any mind, except when I’m here,” she said with exasperation. She went on to note that Trump was reportedly angry upon arrival to the event, especially once told he would be fact-checked in real time. “That put his nose out of joint,” Goldberg explained.
“This is the same old stuff he did with [Barack] Obama. He made people think there was something [wrong],” Goldberg continued. “His mom was white, his dad was Black. Now, if the KKK were chasing him, they’d say, ‘There goes a Black man.’ If KKK was chasing Kamala, they say there goes a Black woman.’”
Never one to miss a punchline, Joy Behar then threw in a quick zinger, joking, “If the KKK was chasing Trump, they’d say, ‘There goes an orange man!’”
Sunny Hostin then spoke up with some facts to put the issue of Harris’ racial identity to rest once and for all, saying, “I’ve been a member of the National Association of Black Journalists for about 20 years, and the same sorority … Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. She went to an HBCU Howard University. She was the president of the Black Law Students Association of her law school. She joined the Congressional Black Caucus when she became a Senator. She is a Black woman.”
Hostin then agreed with Goldberg’s estimation of how Harris would be considered by certain people, saying, “To your point, Whoopi, in this country, if you are biracial, but you have any drop of black blood in you, you are considered a Black person. We didn’t make those rules. Those rules were made for us.” She then went on to note that she herself is biracial, adding, “I have a Black father and a white mother, and the KKK will find me and round me up with every other Black person, and so I think, this is my lived experience, and it’s her lived experience. And I think to question someone’s racial identity, especially him, the bar has fallen so low.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin agreed, calling Trump’s words “despicable” and giving kudos to the direct recipient of much of Trump’s ire at the event, ABC’s Rachel Scott. She “did an excellent job holding his feet to the fire,” Griffin said. “There is something about when women challenge him, that he unravels.”
“It seemed like he was kind of blurting out, out loud, what he says privately with his advisor. He didn’t even try to hide or mask his racism,” she continued. “That, to me, is a sign of decline.”
Then, Sara Haines weighed in with some statistics on hand, including that over 33 million people in the United States are biracial, and questioned his strategy with his comments about Harris: “There was such disconnected message… He shows up to this Black event wanting to woo Black voters by saying the most offensive things?” she said with confusion.
“I don’t agree that that was his motive,” Behar interjected. “He was really working for his base. That was to signal his base…. It was an opportunity to say to all the racists out there, ‘See what I’m saying here? You see what I did there?’”
“Also, he’s too stupid to realize what he’s even doing,” Behar added. “He gets so threatened by a Black woman asking him questions, he’s petrified of Kamala in the debates. He’s petrified.”
TRUMP ATTENDANCE AT NABJ SPARKS CONTROVERSY: #TheView co-hosts react to former Pres. Trump’s interview on Wednesday at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention where he questioned Vice Pres. Harris’ Black identity. pic.twitter.com/3MkElVCotm
— The View (@TheView) August 1, 2024
Later in the episode, the day’s guest Chris Sununu, who is a Trump supporter, agreed that the NABJ appearance was “absolutely awful,” adding, “Personal attacks don’t get a single new vote and that’s essentially what yesterday was.”
The View, weekdays, 11 a.m. ET, ABC