After Whoopi Goldberg and Meghan McCain sparred over President Joe Biden’s handling of a reporter’s critical question about his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a June 17 airing of “The View,” people came to Whoopi’s defense, calling Meghan’s conduct “disrespectful.”
“Whoopi did not have time,” one user wrote.
The conflict stemmed from an exchange between Biden and CNN reporter Kaitlyn Collins, who asked a question about the president’s historic June 16 summit with Putin in Geneva, Switzerland. “Why are you so confident he’ll change his behavior, Mr. President?” Collins asked.
“I’m not confident he’ll change his behavior,” the president said. “When did I say I was confident? What I said was, let’s get it straight, I said what will change their behavior is if the rest of the world reacts to them and it diminishes their standing in the world.”
Collins fired back, noting that Putin has denied involvement in recent attacks on cybernetworks in the U.S., which have been blamed on Russia, asking how the meeting was constructive.
“If you don’t understand that you’re in the wrong business,” Biden said before walking away.
Later Biden told another group of reporters that he owed the reporter an apology. “I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy with the last answer I gave,” he said. He then added that reporters must have negative attitudes because it seems like they “never ask positive questions.”
As the cast of “The View” shared their thoughts on Biden’s “testy response” to the reporter, Goldberg defended the president after McCain called his actions “100 percent Trumpy.”
McCain added, “I think I would just like a little intellectual consistency. If Trump had done that we would be screaming at the top of our lungs.”
“The thing that I never saw Trump do was apologize to anybody,” Goldberg stated
McCain interrupted, saying, “With all do respect, I don’t care.”
“Let me finish what I’m saying,” Goldberg continued.
“Well with all do respect I don’t care if he’s apologizing he just embarrassed himself.” McCain said.
“I don’t care that you don’t care, just hear what I’m saying,” Goldberg said, attempting to finish her thought.
“I don’t care that you don’t care Whoopi so we’re even,” McCain fired back.
“OK, we’re gonna go,” Goldberg said, calling for a commercial break. As the music started to play, Goldberg continued, “Well, good, Meghan, then you can be how you always are, we’ll be right back.”
“You can be how you always are!” McCain shouted before the segment ended.
When the break ended, Goldberg began by apologizing. “I want to apologize because I was rude. I didn’t need to say what I said and I apologize because that’s not the way I want to behave at work.”
“Well I apologize to Whoopi,” McCain said.
“Cool,” said Goldberg.
On Twitter, users characterized McCain’s conduct as “highly disrespectful.” One user asked, “@abc u condone this disrespect?”
“It is time for her to be fired,” another user said of McCain.
According to another user, Goldberg shouldn’t have apologized to McCain. “Kudos to Whoopi for being the perfect person in that moment, but I wouldn’t apologize,” she said.
“Meghan McCain is so damn disrespectful & defensive when it comes to being told not to interrupt that she deserves to be reminded It’s not the Meghan McCain show!” another user clapped back.
“This young lady is so ugly—on the inside,” said broadcaster Soledad O’Brien.
McCain didn’t respond directly to the controversy but tweeted this after the episode aired, “Sometimes it bares reminding that half of the country shares my politics – even if 99% of mainstream media does not.”
