Key Points
Alyssa Farah Griffin criticized Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris on The View.
The audience groaned at her words, prompting Griffin to snap back at the crowd.
The cohosts got into a tense debate over Michelle Obama saying America isn’t ready for a female president.
Alyssa Farah Griffin fired back at The View audience for flaming her during a tense debate at the Hot Topics table about Michelle Obama‘s recent assertion that America isn’t ready for a female president.
The cohosts engaged in a heated back-and-forth inspired by the former first lady’s reaction to calls that she run for president, with Obama telling Tracee Ellis Ross at an event that the United States is “not ready for a woman” to hold the nation’s highest office.
“I respectfully disagree with the first lady,” Griffin, who previously worked for Donald Trump’s communications team during the president’s first term, told her peers at the table.
Griffin then pointed to the two most recent high-profile female candidates for president and criticized them both. “I don’t think we’re not ready. We look at the two candidates who were Democratic nominees, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris, there’s always sexism that plays in. They were flawed candidates. Hillary Clinton, absolutely the most qualified…”
ABC
Alyssa Farah Griffin snaps back at ‘The View’ audience
She trailed off as the audience began to audibly groan at her assessment, before the 36-year-old turned to face them and snapped back, “Let me explain myself!”
Moderator Joy Behar cut in to explain, “The reason they’re moaning is because the men were flawed too. That doesn’t matter.”
Griffin again attempted to get through her point about Clinton and Harris’ flaws despite saying she disagreed with Obama’s words.
“With Hillary Clinton, highly qualified, but it was an anti-dynasty time, they wanted an outsider. She had decades of dirt on her that people felt from the Clinton era,” Griffin said. “Love Kamala Harris, but she was not a great communicator. She was not the best female candidate we’re ever gong to see run for president.”
Panelist Sara Haines jumped in to say that “if Michelle Obama ran, she could win,” to which Griffin replied, “I agree!”
Ana Navarro then recalled off-camera conversations she and The View cohosts had with Harris when the presidential candidate was a guest on the program earlier this year, and said that she remembered her cohosts saying that the only way Democrats could win a future election is by siding with a white man.
“She said, ‘I refuse to tell little girls, particularly little girls of color, that they are out of the game just because of who they are,'” Navarro recounted.
Sunny Hostin countered the sentiment, and sided with Obama.
ABC
Joy Behar addresses ‘The View’ audience groaning at Alyssa Farah Griffin
“Because of my lived experience as an Afro-Latina, I’m able to look at this world with a different prism and I’m able to tell this country and tell this audience and tell my fellow cohosts some uncomfortable truths,” Hostin said. “This is a country based on racism and slavery, and founding in it, there is systemic racism and misogyny. I’ve never met anyone who raises their hand and says, ‘I am racist,’ however, there are people that seem to be able to look the other way when it comes to racism.”
She doubled down, telling viewers, “Don’t tell me this country is ready for a Black woman.”
Near the end of the segment, Behar attempted to speak, but Griffin tried to talk over her once again. “Let me finish my sentence,” Behar clapped back, with Griffin telling her, “Well, I got interrupted,” before Behar continued.
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“She’s qualified, more qualified that any man he’s run against, and she lost to a reality talk show host,” Behar finished, prompting a stern reply from Griffin, who rebutted, “Qualifications are not what decide the presidency. Right now should tell us that,” before saying that Clinton “was dragged down by her husband’s baggage” in the end.
“There’s a reason this country has only had one Black male president,” Hostin added, while Griffin got one of the final words when she said, “We will see another Black man and we’ll see a female president in my lifetime.”
The View airs weekdays on ABC. Watch the cohosts debate Obama’s sentiment in the video above.
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