Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin have accused the Trump administration of being a “menace” to public health for planning to hold its first political rally since the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns.
The ladies of ABC’s “The View” — aside from co-host Meghan McCain — lambasted President Trump’s upcoming Tulsa rally as a far greater threat to public health than the throngs of Black Lives Matter protests across the nation.
“He only cares that you come and supply kudos to his massive ego,” Ms. Behar said Tuesday before imploring Trump supporters to stay home. “He won’t even give you health insurance if you get sick. Why are you going? Why?”
“You’re inviting 60,000 people to a rally where … masks are optional,” said Ms. Hostin of the June 20 event. “They very well may be infected with a life-ending virus. I just think it’s — [Trump is] a menace.”
Ms. McCain countered that she doesn’t support any large gatherings, given that 116,000 U.S. deaths have been attributed to COVID-19, but that her peers look like giant hypocrites for excusing tens-of-thousands of protesters who gather in any given city.
“The message from the media is as long as you are protesting something or going to a rally that is of the right politics, you can do it and we’ll ignore the spread of COVID[-19],” Ms. McCain said, Mediaite reported. “So going to a Trump rally is somehow more dangerous than going to a rally in Brooklyn over the weekend. … We have to be consistent on this. And what we’re seeing is a lot of anger festering up. When you’re seeing people who are now taking it into their own hands and going and opening up playgrounds in Brooklyn because [Mayor Bill] de Blasio won’t let them, but at the same time hundreds-of-thousands of people can go protest in Brooklyn. The messaging is very confusing for people.”
The panel, seemingly frustrated, went to a break before allowing Ms. Behar to expand on her position.
“The rally for Trump is indoors,” the comedian said. “The protesters are out in the streets and most of them are wearing masks, I notice, even though a lot of them are not. And they should be, but the indoor situation is ten times worse and much more dangerous. That’s all. It’s completely different.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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