The hosts of The View had a lively conversation ahead of the United States' 250th anniversary. On Friday's episode (June 5), the conversation began with a discussion of Donald Trump's decision to hold a UFC fight on the White House lawn... and his comparison of this gigantic installation to the Eiffel Tower in France.
After watching video of Trump suggesting the ring be permanently displayed and Joe Rogan calling the event "so American," Goldberg pointed to statistics that show that while two-thirds of Republicans are "proud" to be American, more than 80 percent of Democrats feel differently.
«"I don't know if that's true," Goldberg said before handing the floor over to her co-host.
«"Did he just compare this UFC show to the Eiffel Tower?" Sarah Haynes wondered out loud.
«"Please, he's trolling," Alyssa Farah Griffin replied.
«"The thought of UFC fights on the White House lawn [as an American] doesn't immediately come to mind unless it's some crazy dream I'm having because I've had too much to drink," Haynes said. "I don't understand it, but I'm incredibly proud that we're approaching the 250th anniversary of America's founding." She then cited her experience with the "Finding Your Roots" program and learning she's a descendant of American Revolutionary veterans as a moment of epiphany. "I think in moments like these, it just reminds you how deeply patriotic this country is and how much people have sacrificed to get here. It's an imperfect social experiment, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.".
Ana Navarro, who fled Nicaragua as a child, then added, "I survived a civil war. I fled communism, and I live in an area of South Florida where many people fled political upheaval and oppression, so I will never take for granted the freedom, the refuge, the opportunity this country has provided me and so many other immigrants." However, she also noted that while she is "proud of the exceptionalism and resilience of this country," she also feels "shame, embarrassment, and horror at the current behavior of the American government." She then cited the deaths of Alex Pretty and Renee Goode, as well as the detention of children by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as examples of what fills her with "shame." However, she concluded, "But I will never stop being proud to be an American.".
Griffin then identified herself as a Republican who is proud to be American, but clarified, "I don't think being an American means not recognizing that our country has enormous flaws, and we call this country an experiment in democracy because it's not guaranteed, because we're actually a very young country. What makes us so unique, and one of the things I love about this country so much, is that we're unlike any other country on Earth in that we're incredibly diverse racially, religiously, and socioeconomically. There's no country on Earth that has that. I think that's one of our greatest strengths, but it's also a major contributing factor to many of the conflicts we've seen over the last hundreds of years. If you think about it, every war in human history has essentially come down to one of those factors: race, religion, and socioeconomic status. Our country has all of those things, and yet we continue to move forward and strive for what the message of America can and should be." So on this 250th anniversary, I think about this: "This is an inspiring idea. It's about freedom for all, about the pursuit of happiness for all. It's about free speech, which I will always defend at this table. That doesn't mean there won't be real tensions ahead, but I believe we're moving in the right direction. It just takes time.".
Sunny Hostin had a completely different perspective: she also participated in Finding Your Roots and discovered that she is a descendant of slaves and those who enslaved others. «I think we have a very complicated history. I think this is a very complicated country, and at this point, I’m ashamed of our government. I’m ashamed of our lack of healthcare. I’m ashamed of the attacks on the press. I’m ashamed of our Congress. I’m ashamed of the criminal president who sits in the Oval Office and keeps a UFC cage on the White House lawn. I’m ashamed of all of that, and I’m also ashamed of the way America is perceived around the world right now. I think a lot of Americans don’t realize that we’re part of a wonderful global community, and when you look at our allies, they give us one star as a country right now. I have mixed feelings about this country because, frankly, I feel like it’s a failed experiment at this point. I’m also disheartened by how the rest of the world perceives this country.».
Griffin shook her head and asked Hostin to clarify whether she believed America had "already failed" and was "beyond repair at this point," to which Hostin replied, "I think it is failing at this point. It is a failure.".
Griffin doubted that a change in leadership could change anything. Hostin said she discussed this with former President Bill Clinton off-camera and quoted him as saying, "It will take decades for the country to recover from what was done.".
Goldberg then went on to say that it wouldn't take decades and offered her take on the current state of America, saying, "I'm really proud to be an American because I've lived in other places, just like we all have, and the fact that we can do what we do and not get arrested tells me this is still America. I love all the places I've lived, but this is the only country I know that allows us to do what we do, and for that, I'm eternally grateful. In 250 years, if we've gotten this far, forget the last two years, think how far we've come, think of all the things women have been able to do, all the things we've been able to do ourselves, all the ways we've been able to improve our lives. That's why glass ceilings have been broken." This is why people fought, got hit by cars, and got doused with water cannons, for the right to be American, to be considered American, and this is why it makes me so angry when I hear people talk about what we are not. We are all Americans. We don't have to believe everything that anyone else thinks. We have different beliefs, but we are all Americans.
The View, weekdays, 11:00/10:00, ABC.
Read the latest news from the world of entertainment on TV Insider.