Token conservative View co-host Meghan McCain on Thursday unloaded on the liberal Joy Behar when she compared Donald Trump to thug dictators like Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin. It all started when Behar sneered, “We have gotten to the point in this world now where we have to rely on the sanity of Kim Jong-un and Putin over the President of the United States. That's where we're at.”
As though a long simmering tension had been brought to the surface, McCain shot back: “My issue is the moral relativism between someone like Kim Jong-un and Putin and President Trump. I think it’s sort of easy to sit here and do that.” This rapid fire exchange occured with McCain educating her liberal co-host:
JOY BEHAR: Do you think Kim Jong-un is less moral than Trump? Do you?
MEGHAN MCCAIN: Oh, my God!
BEHAR: On what topic?
MCCAIN: Putin is aiding and abetting Assad right now!
BEHAR: On what topic?
MCCAIN: Chemical gassing of children! Last time I checked, America isn't doing that to anyone!
BEHAR: Kim Jong-un doesn't do that.
Except, of course, Kim Jong-un DOES do that.
McCain hammered Behar: “It's hard for me to sit here with moral relativism about many things with Trump. If you think Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin and Bashar al Assad and President Trump are the exact same thing, it's when you lose all arguments with me in every way!”
Proving she was beyond logic, Behar insisted: “What I'm saying is I see the two of them with backing off of war, and I see Trump provoking war.”
A transcript is below:
The View
4/12/18
11:15SARA HAINES: Do you know what's funny is I remember the good old days when he was friends with dictators because now that he is threatening them, I don't know which one is scarier.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Oh, good point. Good point.
JOY BEHAR: We have gotten to the point in this world now where we have to rely on the sanity of Kim Jong-un and Putin over the president of the United States. That's where we're at. We're hoping because one of the guys over there said, “We do not do diplomacy by tweet.” Thank you. Thank you.
HOSTIN: What makes me nervous is I don't know this president is able to compartmentalize things in a way that a president should. So when he has all the Stormy Daniels stuff and the personal attorneys, law firm and home being raided by the FBI, I just wonder if that is agitating him so much. Does he then lean toward making emotional decisions?
BEHAR: Bill Clinton was famous for being able to compartmentalize. Monica Lewinsky. Syria.
HOSTIN: Yeah. And can he do that?
MEGHAN MCCAIN: There is no way for him to win though. When he says nothing about Russia, people get angry. When he is threatening Russia, people also get angry. I think we really need to pick our battles. I know it’s sort of funny to laugh at. We're talking about genocide in Syria.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: I totally get that. You know what? I don't mean to cut you off. Go ahead. I don't want to cut you off. Go ahead.
MCCAIN: No, it's fine. Everyone —
GOLDBERG: All right. I just -- I'm just, like, look. I have been -- I have questioned stuff. And I'm at the point where if you are going to wag yourself around and say, “I'm a big guy,” then don't -- don't not point out that other folks have had to do the same thing because —
HOSTIN: Hypocrisy.
GOLDBERG: You thought you were going to be able to do this.
MCCAIN: That's not my issue. My issue is the moral relativism between someone like Kim Jong-un and Putin and President Trump. I think it’s sort of easy to sit here and do that. But the reason why —
BEHAR: Do you think Kim Jong-un is less moral than Trump? Do you?
MCCAIN: Oh, my God!
BEHAR: On what topic?
MCCAIN: Putin is aiding and abetting Assad right now!
BEHAR: On what topic?
MCCAIN: Chemical gassing of children! Last time I checked, America isn't doing that to anyone!
[Cheers and applause]
BEHAR: Kim Jong-un doesn't do that. What are you talking about?
MCCAIN: Joy, I'm trying — I'm really trying right now and I know that you are — and there is frustration about the way we're communicating about this, and I completely understand it. It's hard for me to sit here with moral relativism about many things with Trump. If you think Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin and Bashar al Assad and President Trump are the exact same thing, it's when you lose all arguments with me in every way!
BEHAR: What I'm saying is I see the two of them with backing off of war, and I see Trump provoking war. That's what I think.
MCCAIN: Trump is not provoking war! Do you know how you provoke war? By the aiding and abetting — if there’s any understanding of history on this. Assad would not have the power he has on this if it weren’t for Putin amping him up, giving him military — bombing hospitals. Putin did that! Trump didn't do that! The moral relativism of this!
BEHAR: I'm talking about the way he is provoking everybody.
GOLDBERG: [Interrupting]: All right! We’ll be right back.
