Meghan McCain called for a bit of honesty from the White House on Friday’s broadcast of “The View.”
McCain argued that President Joe Biden’s administration should give credit to former President Donald Trump for the quick development of the coronavirus vaccines and that they should admit there might be more lockdowns ahead. (RELATED: ‘America Is Mentally, Emotionally And Spiritually Sick’: Meghan McCain Says New Mask Mandates Aren’t The Problem)
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Co-host Joy Behar began by asking whether people should “manage their expectations” about getting back to normal and about what that new normal might look like.
“I think that the White House should be honest with the American public and say that there is no going back to normal and that taking off the mask was just a ruse, and there will probably be lockdowns,” McCain replied, saying that a return to mask mandates and lockdowns would ultimately divide people further and drive them to move to states where they had more liberties.
McCain went on to say that she wished more Democrats were interested in curbing the rising tide of violent crime, particularly where she lived in Washington, D.C., saying, “Quite frankly, I have a higher likelihood of getting shot leaving this building than I do of getting COVID. From July 24th to 28th, there were four COVID deaths and 11 homicides.”
McCain went on to address the return to mask mandates, adding, “We were told we wouldn’t have to wear masks and, yes, I guess the data is changing and we’re told we have to wear them including inside here in Washington, D.C., and there’s very little — I have very little hope we’re going to be pulling out of this. I think there’s just going to be more variants and more variants and more variants and unfortunately, this is the new normal. And until we get new leadership in the White House, I don’t have hopes this is ever going to end.”
McCain argued that if Democrats — particularly the Biden administration — wanted to make getting vaccinated a bipartisan issue that was about making sure people were safe rather than denying Trump the credit, they would have given him some recognition for the speed with which three safe and effective vaccines were developed.
“They should give a little credit to President Trump, and it’s hard for me to say that because I don’t like President Trump, but Fast and Furious did work,” she said, clearly meaning Operation Warp Speed. “And when Jen Psaki is asked about it, she’s very cavalier and, quite frankly, snarky saying ‘we don’t need to give him an engraved invitation.’ At this point, if it’s this serious that we’re going to lock down the country and masking everyone including, by the way, 2-year-olds, you should invite President Trump someone in Trumpland to help get the messaging out because until then we’re all being held hostage until this maybe never passes.”
McCain’s co-hosts argued that Trump should go out and tell people to get the vaccine without being asked by the Biden administration. “Nobody’s gagging him,” Behar said.
“I think it would be nice to see a bipartisan push formally together,” McCain concluded. “It’s just never going to happen.”
Trump did recommend the vaccine during a Fox News interview in March, saying, “I would recommend it. And I would recommend it to a lot of people who don’t want to get it and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly … But again, we have our freedoms and we have to live by that and I agree with that also. But it is a great vaccine. It is a safe vaccine and it is something that works.”
All other living former presidents and first ladies put together a public service announcement recommending the vaccine — but Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump were not asked to participate.