Joe Biden’s senior adviser Symone Sanders appeared on The View Wednesday and didn’t have to answer any questions that would put the Democrat presidential nominee in a negative light. The hosts didn’t ask her about Biden’s latest racist gaffe or his sexual assault allegation. Instead, The View hosts invited her to attack President Trump for using the Democrats’ “defund the police” against them, and answer non-specific questions on how Biden will enact “change” and reach the progressive wing of his party.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg, sounding like she herself worked for the Biden campaign, announced Sanders like this: “Americans are out in the streets in force demanding change, and right now we are joined by a woman who plans to make sure that change happens.”
After promising viewers that the Biden team would be the ones to make sure the non-specific “change” happens, Goldberg then gave Sanders this open-ended question: "As peaceful protests continue throughout the country, what do you make of what's happening at this extraordinary moment? Are you hopeful that we can make real reform happen in this country, finally?"
Co-host Joy Behar used her first question to complain about President Trump. She claimed he, and Republicans, were supposedly lying about Democrats calling to abolish the police. Instead of acknowledging that Democrats were refusing to back away from a radical position that isn’t shared by the majority of Americans, Behar asked Sanders how Biden would combat this “baloney” that Trump was using to “hurt Democrats” this election:
So Trump held a round table with law enforcement officers praising the job that they're doing and saying there would be no defunding or dismantling of the police. Now you and I both know he's using the idea of defunding to confuse and scare Americans. Anybody with a brain can see that, but do Democrats need to clarify the message and really get the word out that that is just baloney before he weaponizes it and hurts the Democrats even, you know, in the election? What do you say to that?
Meghan McCain gushed over Biden’s rising poll numbers, before asking how Biden would respond to Trump embracing “law and order." Sanders claimed Trump wasn't really about law and order, pointing to criticism from former military leaders and the protesters in front of the White House last week as examples that Trump is a “bad faith actor."
The last two questions from the hosts pushed Sanders from the left. Sunny Hostin repeated the question she’s been asking every Democrat on the show, about the need for Biden to pick a black female VP. Joy Behar also worried about how Biden was going to win over Bernie supporters:
[O]ne of Bernie's top aides warned that a significant portion of his supporters are currently unsupportive and unenthusiastic about Biden. This is a problem. As somebody who has worked for both men, okay, how do you get Bernie supporters on board with Joe Biden? How do you get them to understand the severity of the situation?
Sanders was asked about her new book about working in the media and in the 2016 campaign to close out the interview.
Yet another example of how Republican guests get put through the wringer on The View, while Democrats running for president get either softballs or treated like royalty.
Read the relevant portions in the transcript below:
The View
6/10/20
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Welcome back. Americans are out in the streets in force demanding change, and right now we are joined by a woman who plans to make sure that change happens. Please welcome Joe Biden's senior campaign adviser and author of the new book, "No, you shut up," Symone Sanders. I love saying the title of this book. It just makes me so happy....
I love it. So yesterday George Floyd was laid to rest in a private funeral in Houston, but not before 6,000 people came to pay their respects. As peaceful protests continue throughout the country, what do you make of what's happening at this extraordinary moment? Are you hopeful that we can make real reform happen in this country, finally?
...
MCCAIN: So right now Vice President Biden is surging in the polls and he's doing extremely well, and he's up above 50% which is more than Hillary Clinton ever got to. As you know and I do, it's a long time between now and election day. How do you see Vice President Biden pivoting on Republicans doing this law and order messaging?
...
JOY BEHAR: So Trump held a round table with law enforcement officers praising the job that they're doing and saying there would be no defunding or dismantling of the police. Now you and I both know he's using the idea of defunding to confuse and scare Americans. Anybody with a brain can see that, but do Democrats need to clarify the message and really get the word out that that is just baloney before he weaponizes it and hurts the Democrats even, you know, in the election? What do you say to that?
...
SUNNY HOSTIN: Symone, just this morning a Politico Morning Consult poll found that 46% of Democrats say it's important that Vice President Biden pick a vice presidential candidate of color. Now Biden has promised to select a woman as his VP pick, but has not commented on whether or not that will be a black woman. Given the significance of this moment, the state of race relations, the need for him to unify and really turn out black voters in record numbers who really are responsible for the vice president being the candidate of the democratic party, is he aware of the growing calls for him to choose a black female vice presidential running mate?
…
BEHAR: So one more question, Symone. During the 2016 election, you were Bernie Sanders' press secretary. We remember it well, and just last month one of Bernie's top aides warned that a significant portion of his supporters are currently unsupportive and unenthusiastic about Biden. This is a problem. As somebody who has worked for both men, okay, how do you get Bernie supporters on board with Joe Biden? How do you get them to understand the severity of the situation?
