Monday on ABC’s The View, liberal co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin and Joy Behar called Vice President Mike Pence a hypocrite for sitting down while North Korean athletes marched into the stadium at the Olympic Games this weekend. Whoopi complained that Pence didn’t not show North Korea their due “respect,” while Hostin compared Pence’s actions to the NFL anthem protests.
After explaining what Pence did, co-host Sunny Hostin sneered that Pence was being a hypocrite, since he famously walked out of a football game last year after NFL players kneeled during the National Anthem.
“I thought that Mike Pence said that it was inappropriate to make political statements at sporting events?” Hostin said sarcastically. “Wasn't he that guy who walked out of the football game because people were kneeling and not standing?” she added, condescendingly.
Playing devil’s advocate, Behar claimed Pence would say this was different because it wasn’t in the United States. “In their own country is what he would say to that,” Behar offered.
“But he's representing the United States of America isn't he?” Hostin snarked.
Whoopi took Hostin’s approach one step further, saying that the U.S. had to be “respectful” to North Korea.
“We have to be respectful because what we do know about politicians is they end up sitting with people that you and I say well, why are they sitting with them? So if you're in Korea, you need to stand up. You need to stand up and show respect!” she argued.
After the table briefly talked about how both Koreas joined together to march under the unification flag, Whoopi charged the VP for not recognizing that action as a “good thing,” again urging the U.S. to “respect” the totalitarian regime.
“He should have given enough -- had enough respect to say you know what, maybe they are doing a good thing for themselves and maybe we can sit down with them at some point, but you can't have it both ways,” Whoopi claimed.
Behar also called Pence a hypocrite because he supported President Trump, whom she alleged was not harsh enough on Russia:
And so it's kind of hypocritical for Pence, all I hear from Trump is how great Russia is. He never says a bad word about Putin. That is un-American to me...Pence is working for a man who reveres Russia, who never says anything about Russia and Russia has many human rights violations. Pence is working for that man and backs that man up. So then he's a hypocrite.
Conservative co-host Meghan McCain was the only one at the table to disagree with Whoopi, saying she probably wouldn’t have stood either. McCain went on to charge the media and in particular CNN for “normalizing” their government in their Olympic coverage over the weekend. Former View host and current guest host Sherri Shepherd backed up McCain, saying she “surprised” at CNN “normalizing” Kim Jong-Un’s sister. “They have committed a lot of atrocities. Don’t normalize this woman,” she stated.
But Whoopi claimed it was Pence’s fault for “normalizing” anything.
[I]f you're going to go over there, you're going to represent the United States. Either don't go and say you know what, we can't normalize it...If you're going to represent the country you have to make a decision to either go and stand and do what you need to do like we would all have to do or don't go. Because the minute you go, you're normalizing it.
To read the full transcript, click below:
WHOOPI: So on to the rest of the Olympics. Vp Mike pence was in the stands at the Olympics where he seemed to be making a silent protest by remaining seated when North and South Korean athletes entered the stadium under the Korean unification flag. Now was this the place to make that statement or did he just forget to get up?
HOSTIN: I thought that Mike Pence said that it was inappropriate to make political statements at sporting events? Wasn't he that guy who walked out of the football game because people were kneeling and not standing?
JOY BEHAR: Well he would say that’s in their own country is what he would say to that
HOSTIN: But he's representing the United States of America isn't he?
WHOOPI: We have to be respectful because what we do know about politicians is they end up sitting with people that you and I say well, why are they sitting with them? So if you're in Korea, you need to stand up. You need to stand up and show respect!
MEGHAN MCCAIN: The debate I would give is that there's a difference between sitting at a table with politicians and world leaders. You globally have a difference of opinion on. North Korea is one of the worst human rights violators, it’s one of the most repressive countries.
WHOOPI: And we should not be there. Then we shouldn't be there.
MCCAIN: The Olympics are in South Korea and North Korea teams combined.
WHOOPI: Unification. People came out together. He should have given enough -- had enough respect to say you know what, maybe they are doing a good thing for themselves and maybe we can sit down with them at some point, but you can't have it both ways.
MCCAIN: I got to tell you Whoopi, I think if I were there I don't think I would have stood either. I have such a problem with what's going on in North Korea. People are literally being starved into forced labor. They don't have any civil society--
WHOOPI: I'm sorry baby. We have supported regimes like this.
HOSTIN: Like Russia.
WHOOPI: For many, many years that are still doing it. The Olympics are supposed to be the one place where politics is not supposed to play a part. That's my understanding. [ Applause ]
SHERRI SHEPHERD: It's very interesting that the Pence -- he decided to do his peaceful protest. Very interesting that he didn't take a knee because you wouldn't have known if he was paying homage because taking a knee is not disrespectful. Because you can take a knee to somebody or pray to somebody. So I think him not taking a knee -- him sitting town was more of the nonverbal spit in your face. It's interesting that he didn’t do it.
MCCAIN: But North Koreans wouldn't have understood that because they have no media. I think the normalising of North Korea by the way-- Russia as well. I'm equal opportunity offender when it comes to any global figure or global society that is violating all human rights violations. We as America should know better and should stand better. I didn't like the idea of having the Olympics in South Korea to begin with for this reason because it's been known the teams would end upcoming together, North Korea and South Korea, and marching together.
HOSTIN: For the first time in Olympic history you have North Korea and South Korea together. I just thought it was --
BEHAR: We got them together probably.
HOSTIN: I thought it was really a significant thing.
WHOOPI: Well, yeah.
MCCAIN: The media's response I have found so offensive. CNN said Kim Jong-un's sister was stealing the show, the Ivanka Trump of North Korea. Jake Tapper summed it up, if you hate U.S. Leaders more than Kim Jong-un you really need to read up on North Korea. There is a grave difference between what's going on with this country with our problems and yes, they're grave and yes they’re polarizing, but we're not throwing people in concentration camps and feeding them to wild dogs.
JOY BEHAR: What resonates for me is the way President Trump -- I can't believe I said those words. I have not said them for over a year. That Donald Trump reveres Russia so much over the United States very often. And so it's kind of hypocritical for Pence, all I hear from Trump is how great Russia is. He never says a bad word about Putin. That really is un-American to me.
MCCAIN: Joy, you know me, I never defend anything having to do with Russia or Putin.
BEHAR: Yeah. On you. It's not personal.
MCCAIN: I know. I agree with you that we need to be intellectually honest as conservatives when we're talking about who and what we blame for what, but I don't think it could be -- North Korea is debatably the worst.
BEHAR: I’m merely talking about Pence because Pence is working for a man who reveres Russia, who never says anything about Russia and Russia has many human rights violations. Pence is working for that man and backs that man up. So then he’s a hypocrite. He’s just a hypocrite.
