While ABC’s The View spent much of their Wednesday show gushing about former President Trump being found liable in a civil suit and the arrest of New York Representative George Santos (R), they found time to squeeze in some easy banter with fashion designer Aurora James, who made the infamous “Tax the Rich” dress worn by New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) to the Met Gala in 2012. The same dress that landed the Congresswoman in hot water with the House Ethics Committee, but the cast of The View had no interest in pressing James on that.
On the show to hawk her new memoir Wildflower, James had it pretty easy. The only mention of Ocasio-Cortez’s dress came from racist co-host Sunny Hostin in the form of obtuse praise.
“So, you often use your platform to send this message and challenge the status quo in the fashion world. So, we all remember the infamous ‘Tax the Rich’ dress. You designed the dress for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Met Gala in 2021,” she informed the audience as James feigned surprise at the kind words. “I thought it was great,” Hostin added.
Hostin made a hard turn away from the dress and the ongoing ethics probe to query James on how her liberal activism had garnered her some enemies. “But being so outspoken can create friction, because at one point, you say, the Proud Boys targeted your business. How did you handle that?” she wanted to know.
James asserted any pushback she and The View received from being outspoken was driven by sexist motives. “Listen. I think anytime women speak out about their beliefs, they’re going to get challenged. And I think that's the risk/reward. And you guys do that all the time, right,” she said.
Circling back to the dress, James defended what she did for Ocasio-Cortez, calling it her “job as a designer” and was lauded by the cast:
JAMES: But I think my job as a designer is also to make sure that when I dress a woman she is coming in with her heart on her sleeve, her message on her sleeve, and showing up authentically as herself in every single room. And I think that's what we did that day.
HOSTIN: You sure did.
SARA HAINES: That's luxury!
Surely as the occupant of the so-called “conservative seat” at the table, co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin would ask James a question about the ethics probe immediately after she defended the dress. Perhaps ask her if she’s been contacted by the House Ethics Committee. Alas, she was mute on the issue.
Instead, Farah Griffin teed her up to pitch another one of her activist projects:
Well, your activism doesn’t end there. The murder of George Floyd in 2020 inspired you to launch something called the 15 Percent Pledge. And now it's become one of the largest economic drivers for black American entrepreneurship in history. For those who aren't familiar, what is the 15 Percent Pledge? Why is it so important? And how has it grown so much in those three years?
The View’s refusal to question the designer of AOC’s dress on the ethics investigation was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from CarShield and Macy’s. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
May 10, 2023
11:50:27 a.m. Eastern(…)
SUNNY HOSTIN: So, you often use your platform to send this message and challenge the status quo in the fashion world. So, we all remember the infamous “Tax the Rich” dress. You designed the dress for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Met Gala in 2021.
[Aurora James feigns surprise]
Yeah. I thought it was great. But being so outspoken can create friction, because at one point, you say, the Proud Boys targeted your business.
JOY BEHAR: What?!
HOSTIN: How did you handle that?
AURORA JAMES: Listen. I think anytime women speak out about their beliefs, they’re going to get challenged. And I think that's the risk/reward. And you guys do that all the time. Right? And part of having a platform, I believe, comes a responsibility to advocate for other people. And it would have been a lot easier for me, probably even for her, just to go sit at that table and have a nice dinner.
HOSTIN: Yeah.
JAMES: But I think my job as a designer is also to make sure that when I dress a woman she is coming in with her heart on her sleeve, her message on her sleeve, and showing up authentically as herself in every single room. And I think that's what we did that day.
HOSTIN: You sure did.
SARA HAINES: That's luxury!
[Applause]
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Well, your activism doesn’t end there. The murder of George Floyd in 2020 inspired you to launch something called the 15 Percent Pledge. And now it's become one of the largest economic drivers for black American entrepreneurship in history. For those who aren't familiar, what is the 15 Percent Pledge? Why is it so important? And how has it grown so much in those three years?
(…)
