‘We’re Not Interchangeable!’: Sunny Hostin Says Biden Will Lose Black Vote If He Ditches Harris As VP

“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin claimed on Thursday that President Joe Biden would risk losing the black vote if he chose to go into the 2024 presidential election with a running mate other than current Vice President Kamala Harris.

Hostin’s comments caused quite a stir on the ABC midday talk show, prompting a broad range of reactions from her co-hosts – even the liberal co-hosts who typically agreed with her.

WATCH:

“If Biden gets rid of Kamala Harris and inserts someone else, he will lose the Black vote.”

— In the wake of several pieces calling for Joe Biden to pick a new running mate, “The View“ co-host Sunny Hostin says Kamala Harris is necessary for Biden to win. pic.twitter.com/thzmzQG8jj

— The Recount (@therecount) September 14, 2023

Responding to Harris’ consistently low poll numbers — which Hostin has repeatedly blamed on “racism” — and calls for Biden to choose another running mate for his re-election bid, Hostin declared that Biden would lose the black vote if he dropped her from the ticket.

“Can I say this very quickly? Over the past five elections, where you’ve had a Democrat win, they needed the black vote. Ninety-one percent of African Americans voted for Biden and will continue to vote for Biden if Kamala is his running mate,” Hostin declared. “I would be very careful, President Biden, about getting rid of Kamala Harris because we will not support you.”

Whoopi Goldberg was first to object, arguing that presidents did not typically make changes to the ticket between terms. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold up … your opinion is valid and beautiful and all of that, but when was the last time you saw anybody get rid of a vice president?” she asked.

Co-host Sarah Haines pressed Hostin on the practicality of her position, noting that if former President Donald Trump was the Republican nominee, it could change the calculus for some even if they didn’t necessarily want to support Biden.

“If it was Biden and Trump?” Haines asked.

“If Biden … if Biden gets rid of Kamala Harris and inserts someone else, he will lose the black vote,” Hostin said again.

“Even if it’s another black woman like Val [Demings] …” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin posited.

“We’re not interchangeable,” Hostin shot back.

“And no one is saying you are, but you wouldn’t vote in an election against Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and black women wouldn’t vote?” Griffin asked.

“I think that you, I mean …” co-host Joy Behar interrupted.

“But I want to know the answer to that,” Griffin continued.

“I don’t want to whitesplain, but you might be underestimating the black community of voters,” Behar said.

Hostin disagreed, but her co-hosts continued to press her on the issue.

“You would really sit out an election – you said I was throwing my vote away if I wrote in another Republican,” Griffin reminded her cohost.

“I did,” Hostin agreed.

“Are you not throwing away your vote by not supporting Biden if he drops Harris?” Griffin asked, applying Hostin’s own logic to her position.

Goldberg interrupted then, saving Hostin from having to answer the question. “I’m sorry, y’all. She is not going anywhere. Let’s start with that. So, this is a lot of hypothetical B.S. meant to make your mind explode,” she said.