ABC’s Whoopi Goldberg has used her platform on The View to push some pretty wild conspiracy theories. On Wednesday she popped off with a particularly loopy one, accusing Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of using a body double in a campaign teaser video his wife Casey DeSantis put out on Tuesday. She also accused him of being a racist, asking, “Why do you dislike people of color?” and flaunted her ignorance of representative government.
The campaign teaser video showed Governor DeSantis backstage at an event, getting ready to walk out with a voiceover asking if a “brighter future” for America was “worth the fight? Do I have the courage? Is it worth the sacrifice?” It concludes with the voice proclaiming: “America has been worth it every single time.”
That message drew laughs from co-host Joy Behar and a combination of boos and groans from their liberal audience. “That could have been anybody,” Goldberg, who has admitted to having bad eyesight, proclaimed. “That could have been me in a Ron DeSantis wig!”
It certainly wasn’t her. It was clearly DeSantis.
Goldberg lamented that DeSantis was set to announce his presidential campaign later in the day and went on to seemingly suggest this wasn’t the first time he had run for president, which was untrue:
Anyway, Elon Musk is going to be announcing this with Ron DeSantis, so this is an announcement of him running for president again. I mean, he's been running -- I feel like he's been running for months. So, I don't know why it's this build-up, because it’s not an exciting thing.
She even had a Luddite moment and shared her irritation that DeSantis was going to announce his campaign via Twitter. “And look, you know what, this idea of announcing on Twitter, I’m – I'm old and I'm okay being old, do that on television. Okay?” she shouted. “I want to see you do it on television. I want to see you actually take real Americans' questions. That's what I want.”
Goldberg’s comments spiraled into the unhinged as she stoked the audience’s hatred of DeSantis, suggesting he “dislike[d] people of color.” She even seemed to threaten him, saying “gay folks” would rise up and come for him:
GOLDBERG: I don't want to dislike you. I can't help it, because you give –
[Laughter]
BEHAR: This whole audience hates him.
GOLDBERG: -- you don't give me any reason, because I don't understand. Why do you dislike people of color? What's wrong with American history? What's wrong with gay folks? You know, Anita Bryant did this stuff in 1975, and gay folks rose up and fought for what they needed. That's what's coming, man!
BEHAR: We hope.
GOLDBERG: Oh, it's coming, it's coming.
Coming up against a commercial break, for the second time this week, Goldberg betrayed her deep ignorance of how representative government and elections worked.
Despite the fact DeSantis was just reelected as governor by almost 20 points, Goldberg tried to tell off DeSantis by arguing, “You’re not asking your constituents” what laws they wanted signed, “You're telling them what you're doing.” And this was supposedly “not the American way.”
“Everybody’s supposed to be deciding what they want for their state, sir, not just you,” she flamed out.
Whoopi Goldberg’s unhinged ranting was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from LifeLock and Sandals. Their contact information in linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
May 24, 2023
11:02:22 a.m. Eastern(…)
DESANTIS CAMPAIGN AD VOICE OVER: They call it faith, because in the face of darkness, you can see that brighter future. A faith that our best days lay ahead of us. But is it worth the fight? Do I have the courage? Is it worth the sacrifice? America has been worth it every single time.
[Cuts back to live]
JOY BEHAR: [Laughter]
[Audience groans and boos]
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: That could have been anybody.
BEHAR: Right.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Anybody.
GOLDBERG: That could have been me in a Ron DeSantis wig! Just walking past the thing.
Anyway, Elon Musk is going to be announcing this with Ron DeSantis, so this is an announcement of him running for president again. I mean, he's been running -- I feel like he's been running for months. So, I don't know why it's this build-up, because it’s not an exciting thing.
(…)
11:09:37 a.m. Eastern
GOLDBERG: He just has to work on, you know – be articulate, so we know what you're talking about. He wasn’t – I don't understand! I didn't know what he was saying!
And look, you know what, this idea of announcing on Twitter, I’m – I'm old and I'm okay being old, do that on television. Okay?
[Applause]
I want to see you do it on television. I want to see you actually take real Americans' questions. That's what I want. I don't want to dislike you. I can't help it, because you give –
[Laughter]
BEHAR: This whole audience hates him.
GOLDBERG: -- you don't give me any reason, because I don't understand. Why do you dislike people of color? What's wrong with American history? What's wrong with gay folks? You know, Anita Bryant did this stuff in 1975, and gay folks rose up and fought for what they needed. That's what's coming, man!
BEHAR: We hope.
GOLDBERG: Oh, it's coming, it's coming.
[Applause]
HOSTIN: It is coming.
GOLDBERG: You know, that's not a threat.
BEHAR: Well the women are coming too.
GOLDBERG: They pay the same taxes I pay. They want the same things that we're entitled to as taxpayers. You can't pick and choose. And you're not asking your constituents. You're telling them what you're doing. And that is not the American way. Everybody’s supposed to be deciding what they want for their state, sir, not just you. We'll be right back.
