‘The View’ Cohosts React to Biden Dropping Out, Endorsing Kamala Harris (VIDEO)

Amanda Bell July 22, 2024, 11:31 am

After the weekend’s seismic shift in the political landscape of the 2024 presidential election, The View‘s hosts had a lot to say about Joe Biden’s decision to step down from his candidacy and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the ticket instead.

On the panel for Monday’s (July 22) episode were Whoopi Goldberg and Ana Navarro, who’ve each been staunch advocates for Biden remaining in the race, along with Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin, who’ve been vocal in favor of him dropping out, and Sunny Hostin.

Hostin, who has remained neutral on the conversation of Biden’s candidacy amid the many conversations her costars had, started off with praise for Biden: “I think it shows what a statesman he is. I think it shows what a patriot he is. I think it shows that he can put his country before his ego because he had such a great record as President … I think that history will note him as one of the greatest presidents that we’ve had. I really do believe that,” Hostin said. “I wasn’t comfortable with the notion that people were forcing him out. I wasn’t comfortable with cannibalization that I saw in the Democratic Party, but I am comfortable if he made this decision with his inner circle, with Dr Jill Biden, with his family, and decided to do it on his own. The fact that he has endorsed the vice president Kamala Harris, his successor, makes it more clear to me that it’s not if she’s going to be the nominee, it’s when she is the nominee…. I’m full of gratitude for Joe Biden.”

BIDEN EXITS PRESIDENTIAL RACE, ENDORSES HARRIS: After Sunday’s unprecedented announcement from Pres. Biden, #TheView co-hosts react and weigh in on what they expect to see next. pic.twitter.com/LZvi8QikcK

— The View (@TheView) July 22, 2024

Navarro was the next to offer her thoughts, and since she has long had a friendship with Biden, she admitted she was “sad” about him dropping out. “I was sad in the way that when you see a champion athlete retire, leave it all on the field, and walk away into the sunset, that made me sad. It gave me nostalgia. I was also mad because he’s been dragged relentlessly for three weeks by some people who supposedly were his friends,” she said. “I hope that a lot of little donors that went out and said all sorts of things about him come back with a big check now… George Clooney, e con tigo.”

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Haines, who was the first star of the show to call for Biden to step down in the wake of his debate performance, chimed in with a bit of pushback agains Hostin and Navarro’s words on the complaints against Biden, saying, “I commend the people that took that risk and said, ‘We need to do this.’ That began some very hard conversations.” She went on to contrast Biden’s response to Trump’s rally shooting with Trump’s response to Biden’s retirement announcement, saying, “He has continued to drag President Biden in a way that, to me, shows you what we’re dealing with in this election.”

For Griffin, this was a long-anticipated announcement, as she reminded audiences, “I said it a year ago that the history books will remember [Biden] very kindly if he knows to pave the way for someone else to come up. The reality was, it was going to be a very uphill battle if he stayed in place … right now, the message has been pretty clear Vice President Harris is now the Democratic nominee to beat. They don’t know what to do with themselves. They built a campaign against Joe Biden and not a female former prosecutor, attorney general, senator, vice president. There are unknowns. All their data, all their strategy what built around this man. It’s a moment I feel like people are energized. I’m just feeling something.”

Goldberg closed out the segment with a totally opposite reaction to any notes of enthusiasm, saying, “I’m bored by it…. The messaging we have put out to people over a certain age is horrific…. I love Kamala and have defended her from day one. I know she can do the job. I would’ve preferred my Democrats to do this in private.”

The View, weekdays, 11 a.m. ET, ABC