After teaming up with 2016 election denier and two-time failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton the previous day to push Vice President Kamala Harris for president, one of The View’s questionable Republicans confronted the rest of the ABC co-hosts on Friday for “slut shamming” former First Lady Melania Trump. The Cackling Coven tried to suggest the unelected former model, who didn’t seem to enjoy politics at all, was somehow now representative of the entire Republican Party, after racy photos of Trump resurfaced.
“You got to love the little birther. You know what I’m saying? We all appreciate the female body, Melania. Listen, your husband appreciated Stormy Daniels' body plenty, right?” Joy Behar (81) sniped at Trump.
Without an explanation, fake moderate Sara Haines declared that the photos – taken decades ago, long before she married former President Trump – were somehow smoking-gun evidence of Republican hypocrisy:
But it's more the hypocrisy of it and what bothers me about it is the Republican Party has long kind of ridden the family values, the purist people, the judgment on everyone else's lives; from banning books to shutting down drag performances. So, to then all of a sudden flip the script and say ‘now we appreciate this thing,’ it just -- it felt like it was -- it doesn't track.
Surprisingly, Alyssa Farah Griffin defended Trump. “I think in art, photography, picture, portraits, if you want to pose nude or want to express that, that's a perfectly fine thing. What I was surprised by is, I don't know any serious person who’s been criticized her for this in a decade since she first ran for office,” she said, although she had never “ran for office.”
First ladies don’t “run” for that position because it’s not an elected position inside the U.S. government.
She further called out the left by declaring: “If they are on the left, I don't think you defeat misogyny, sexism, slut shaming by engaging in it. I think that you should – if that's what you stand for, you shouldn’t do it to Melania Trump anymore you should someone else.”
That triggered staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners):
One of the problems with this whole thing is that when she was the first lady you could only refer to her as a former model! You could not mention the photos! If you mentioned the photos, you were canceled! And, by the way, these aren't photos. These are erotic nude photos! This is the same thing that took down Vanessa Williams! Okay? And that is not acceptable!
“I agree on the hypocrisy but do you defeat ills in society by engaging in the same ills?” Farah Griffin pushed back.
Farah Griffin really got into it with fake Republican Ana Navarro as the former called out the latter’s hypocrisy on the issue (Click “expand”):
FARAH GRIFFIN: But that confronts the hypocrisy, not the act you’re trying to change: misogyny, sexism.
NAVARRO: I’m one who’s going to call it out every single time I see it. When I see somebody that calls themselves the party of God and the party of religiousness, supporting Donald Trump, I'm going to call out the hypocrisy.
FARAH GRIFFIN: Do you have a problem with slut shaming, though?
NAVARRO: Do I have a spec – Do I have a problem when – Republicans do it plenty. Right? They tried to do it with Kamala Harris.
FARAH GRIFFIN: Yeah, but I’m asking if you have a problem with it.
NAVARRO: What? Of slut shaming? Not a bit! I have a problem with hypocrisy! I have a problem with liars!
FARAH GRIFFIN: See, I have a problem with both is I think what I would say.
Seemingly aware that she was boxed into a corner, Navarro pivoted to mocking Trump’s new book. “You know what I also think is funny? Like she's got this book, right? Which is her memoir. She says she's telling her side of the story. It's like a coffee table book,” she chided.
“Yeah, so what?” Behar quipped back. Looking to Farah Griffin, Behar said she agreed and made a self-deprecating joke: “I'm making an announcement. I'm doing some porn for the blind.”
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
September 20, 2024
11:24:46 a.m. Eastern(…)
MELANIA TRUMP: We should honor our bodies and embrace the timeless tradition of using art as a powerful means of self-expression.
[Cuts back to live]
JOY BEHAR: You got to love the little birther. You know what I’m saying? We all appreciate the female body, Melania. Listen, your husband appreciated Stormy Daniels' body plenty, right?
[Applause]
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Oh, my lord. Ouch.
SARA HAINES: I think she also compared herself – or some reference to The David which is by Michelangelo. Like, I think that might be maybe a step too far. But I love the female body, all of the things. It's what Ana was addressing in the first segment.
BEHAR: It's more like an inch too far. If you’ve seen the statue.
HAINES: I've seen the David! I had to get close! Sorry.
[Laughter]
But it's more the hypocrisy of it and what bothers me about it is the Republican Party has long kind of ridden the family values, the purist people, the judgment on everyone else's lives; from banning books to shutting down drag performances. So, to then all of a sudden flip the script and say ‘now we appreciate this thing,’ it just -- it felt like it was -- it doesn't track.
FARAH GRIFFIN: So, I saw it drop and I was just like, “finally a Trump is on message! This is what the people are talking about!” Not at all.
I actually agreed with everything she said. I think in art, photography, picture, portraits, if you want to pose nude or want to express that, that's a perfectly fine thing. What I was surprised by is, I don't know any serious person who’s been criticized her for this in a decade -
SUNNY HOSTIN: Well, you know why?
FARAH GRIFFIN: - since she first ran for office. But I would say this: if they are on the left, I don't think you defeat misogyny, sexism, slut shaming by engaging in it. I think that you should – if that's what you stand for, you shouldn’t do it to Melania Trump anymore you should someone else.
BEHAR: It’s the hypocrisy! Didn't they go after Michelle Obama's arms? I mean, come on!
HOSTIN: Yes! I was going to say that. One of the problems with this whole thing is that when she was the first lady you could only refer to her as a former model! You could not mention the photos! If you mentioned the photos, you were canceled! And, by the way, these aren't photos. These are erotic nude photos! This is the same thing that took down Vanessa Williams! Okay? And that is not acceptable!
FARAH GRIFFIN: I agree on the hypocrisy but do you defeat ills in society by engaging in the same ills?
ANA NAVARRO: I’m willing to confront them with hypocrisy, man. I think that –
FARAH GRIFFIN: So, you defeat hypocrisy with more hypocrisy?
NAVARRO: No, I think you confront hypocrisy and you call it out when you see it. I also think, that to me it was funny.
FARAH GRIFFIN: But that confronts the hypocrisy, not the act you’re trying to change: misogyny, sexism.
NAVARRO: I’m one who’s going to call it out every single time I see it. When I see somebody that calls themselves the party of God and the party of religiousness, supporting Donald Trump, I'm going to call out the hypocrisy.
FARAH GRIFFIN: Do you have a problem with slut shaming, though?
NAVARRO: Do I have a spec – Do I have a problem when – Republicans do it plenty. Right? They tried to do it with Kamala Harris.
FARAH GRIFFIN: Yeah, but I’m asking if you have a problem with it.
NAVARRO: What? Of slut shaming? Not a bit! I have a problem with hypocrisy! I have a problem with liars!
FARAH GRIFFIN: See, I have a problem with both is I think what I would say.
NAVARRO: You know what I also think is funny? Like she's got this book, right? Which is her memoir. She says she's telling her side of the story. It's like a coffee table book.
BEHAR: Yeah, so what? Look, I agree with you in a way [looking to Farah Griffin]. It's like I would like to do -- I'm making an announcement. I'm doing some porn for the blind.
[Laughter]
(…)
