Co-host of “The View” Meghan McCain sparred with Joy Behar on the show for the second time this week as she pushed back on claims Behar made about vaccine hesitancy among certain demographics.
The exchange resulted in McCain trending on Twitter as she responded to Behar’s argument that conservatives are not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to “own the libs.”
The episode included a clip of chief medical advisor to the president Dr. Anthony Fauci on CNN discussing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recent update in guidance last week regarding mask-wearing for vaccinated individuals, which sparked widespread confusion across the country.
As reported by The Daily Wire, under the new guidance, the CDC says Americans who have been fully vaccinated — those who received their final dose more than 14 days prior — don’t need to wear masks for most indoor or outdoor activities. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the guidance update reflects new data and scientific literature.
Whoopi Goldberg asked Behar if she thought that Fauci was trying to clear up confusion for people. Behar answered that “for some reason” Fauci has to be diplomatic, but she doesn’t have to be.
She continued, saying, “It’s not that complicated, people. It’s not nuclear physics, alright? All you have to do is get the d*** vaccine. When you go inside, wear a mask. Even if you have the vaccine, there might be variants around.”
She continued, “What is the complicated problem here with people? I don’t understand. This is just to own the libs? Maybe they’re not seeing enough on television the way people suffer when they get this disease. Even though the numbers are going down, people are still dying from it. … You’re not owning the libs by not getting the shot.”
When asked when she thinks the situation will change, McCain said, “The messaging is absolute garbage coming from Fauci, and it’s not just about owning the libs. The demographics on who is vaccine hesitant, it crosses the gamut. There’s still a lot of hesitancy in the African American community.”
McCain added, “I think that, again, the White House and the CDC has done a terrible job in just saying, ‘What, do you wanna own the libs and that’s that?’ Like, it’s not productive,” she said. “That’s why people keep going into their corners, and this is coming from a place of fear, I don’t think it’s coming from a place of politics. People just don’t understand and don’t know, and I don’t like to judge people who aren’t accessible to the same kind of resources and education I am. But this is a serious, serious problem in this country.”
Behar pushed back against McCain, replying, “A lot of people of color have every right to be skeptical of the government. They have been burnt for generations … that’s different.”
McCain said, “I’m not saying they aren’t,” adding that Republicans have reasons to be nervous, as well. She added, “I’m not trying to judge. I want as many people vaccinated in as many ways, but I think when you come on the show and just say, ‘Oh, we’re owning the libs,’ it’s just — it’s just factually inaccurate about the demographics who are not getting the vaccine. It crosses the gamut. I just gave you anecdotal evidence.”
“A lot of these people that you’re talking about, Meghan, are watching Sean Hannity … and Tucker Carlson, who are telling them that it’s dangerous,” Behar said as McCain tried to speak.
McCain responded emphatically, “They’re not. They are not. Some of these women that I know are highly educated women.”
Behar kept attempting to speak up before Whoopi Goldberg took the show to a break.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, and the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine.