On Tuesday’s The View, hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Raven-Symone, Michelle Collins, and Sunny Hostin discussed Caitlyn Jenner’s foray into politics but saved their nastiest criticism for the GOP candidate Jenner had been backing. The liberal panel expressed their disbelief that a transgender person could vote Republican, as co-host Joy Behar declared to the panel’s agreement, “Transgenders for Cruz is like Jews for Hitler.”
After Goldberg said that Jenner was “surprising a lot of folks” after previously endorsing Ted Cruz but then posting a picture on social media of her standing with Hillary Clinton this past weekend, the panel discussed how a transgender person could ever vote Republican.
“It took me a while to get used to her. I still have a little bit of an issue,” Raven-Symone began. Joy Behar then asked quizzically: “But what would make her be a Cruz fan? He’s against everything the transgender group stands for?”
That set things up for co-host and CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin to go into a diatribe on “white privilege.”
“She was living in this white male privilege and she still has those thoughts,” Hostin began, later adding in that Jenner was living with “60 years of indoctrination.” She continued:
She's still living in a sense in that bubble. Now all of a sudden she is going to be facing discrimination. She's part of sort of the minority and I think it's fascinating to watch her struggle with those issues. She is experiencing things that people of color, that women experience all the time and it's a social experiment.
After that Behar reiterated her earlier point, this time with more force.
“Transgenders for Cruz is like Jews for Hitler,” Behar declared. Hostin agreed, “That’s right.”
The media’s attacks on presidential candidate Ted Cruz have been unprecedented, with comparisons to Nazis, the KKK, even a major newspaper using an image of a gun pointed towards his head.
See the full transcript from the March 15 The View below:
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Caitlyn Jenner is surprising a lot of folks right now because I guess a couple days after getting all over Hillary Clinton's case she called her a political hack and a horrible liar, she said on her show "I am Cait" she posted a photo standing next to Hillary with a hashtag “Learning from my girls” and “Willing to listen.” And so I think you have a great take on why she kind of steps in it and then gets out of it and steps in it. I would just love you to say it.
RAVEN-SYMONE: It took me a while to get used to her. I still have a little bit of an issue. When you go through that much of a change so quickly, especially in the public eye, I think personally you should have taken a hiatus or break and stepped back and really lived in the transgender world, not just go right into it because Yes, you have been living in this forever. For instance, take me, I knew that I liked girls at 12 years old but when I came out at 28 or whatever I didn't come out and go, “I'm an advocate, I’m an advocate!” I didn't know the struggle because I didn't live in that world. Now she's backtracking. There’s nothing wrong with it. You can change your mind to me, any time you want to but I think she needs to step back and slow down and wait.
JOY BEHAR: But what would make her be a Cruz fan? He's against everything the transgender group stands for?
RAVEN-SYMONE: She didn't know realize that in the very beginning. She wasn’t thinking that and now that she’s going through these problems.
MICHELLE COLLINS: She realized it
SUNNY HOSTIN: I think she did and you know what I think is so fascinating about the show because I do watch the show --
GOLDBERG: You are watching everything aren’t you?
HOSTIN:I know, for the show. What's interesting is that she lived the majority of her life as a white male athlete star.
BEHAR: Privileged.
HOSTIN: Privileged. She was living in this white male privilege and she still has those thoughts. She's still living in a sense in that bubble. Now all of a sudden she is going to be facing discrimination. She's part of sort of the minority and I think it's fascinating to watch her struggle with those issues. She is experiencing things that people of color, that women experience all the time and it's a social experiment.
BEHAR: She needs to read.
COLLINS: Call me a little cynical with the Kardashian family--- who I like the family. I don't have an issue with them. But you know, the ratings for the show are not great, "I am Cait." A lot of my Facebook feed who are lgbt people are very upset with her about the fact that she said that she wanted to be the trans ambassador to Ted Cruz and that she’s supporting these people---they’re very upset--- and part of me feels like posting a picture with Hillary, you know, I don't know if she really believes like if she really is open. I hope she is, but I wonder if part of it is to kind of put that fire out a little bit with the community because they are very upset. And I think it's affecting the ratings on the show and how people are viewing her and she wants to maybe -- I don't know if it's real or not is all I'm saying.
JOY BEHAR: Transgenders for Cruz is like Jews for Hitler.
HOSTIN: That’s right.
RAVEN-SYMONE: Diane said on Twitter says that her eyes are open by other conversations with other trans people, perhaps. Hope it's true. And I think again, that's what she should have done off of camera, off of public. Have these conversations, live in the trans world. Even people in the community are learning about trans.
BEHAR: Excuse the fact that she's not paying attention, that she is transgender and she should be reading about it and understanding politics or watching and thinking.
COLLINS: She said about Trump,” I think he would be very good for women's issues.” [makes confused face]
BEHAR: Come on.
HOSTIN: It's 60 years of that indoctrination---
RAVEN-SYMONE: Exactly.
GOLDBERG: But you have a great point and that is he began as someone else. His friends were someone else, and they were not -- he was not dealing with any of these issues.
BEHAR: Oh, you're talking about Caitlyn?
GOLDBERG: I'm talking about Caitlyn. I'm speaking of him as "Him" at the moment because this is a new change. So all the folks that he knew and the things that he believed, I don't think he really -- because nobody ever does. Unless you're walking in somebody's shoes, sometimes you don't realize how things affect people, and unless you get into that habit you don't know.
