“The View” co-host Sara Haines commended prominent Republicans who backed out of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) during Friday’s panel.
A handful of prominent Republicans opted to speak at alternatives to CPAC rather than attend the major conservative conference, where Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are among the many GOP members scheduled to speak throughout the weekend. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin backed out and will speak at an event held by Club for Growth, a fiscally conservative organization reportedly at odds with Trump.
Haines viewed it as a positive sign that big-name Republicans are willing to “save the party” by speaking at Club for Growth rather than CPAC, which the panel alleged is becoming a “fringe” event.
“I’ve only ever heard of CPAC. To hear there’s this Club for Growth and the Principles First, which I only heard about today, I find this really reassuring, because I know you [co-host Joy Behar] make the joke about the Republican Party divorcing each other, but we begged for that for years, when we watched and said, ‘How is nobody speaking up? Why is no one saying anything? Where are the good Republicans?’ This is a sign that they are trying, that there are people trying to save the party that is conservative thoughts, conservative-minded people,” Haines said.
“But DeSantis is also going to go to Club for Growth,” co-host Sunny Hostin pushed back.
“It’s more the fact that if you’re pulling the Republican minds to different places, you are showing that there are going to be some places, like this Principles First Summit … that there are people that are saying, ‘No, we are going to speak up, because this is not who we are,'” Haines continued. (RELATED: Trump To Headline Slimmed-Down CPAC As GOP Rivals Take The Stage)
The co-hosts criticized CPAC for allegedly being “a campaign contribution” for Trump and being the “fringe of the fringe.” Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said she used to attend CPAC every year but will now be speaking at a counter-conservative event, Principles First, keynoted by former Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney in Washington, D.C.
Co-host Ana Navarro condemned CPAC for being led by former White House political director Matt Schlapp, pointing to accusations that he grabbed a previous staffer under former Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker by the groin.
“Now it’s the crazy people PAC,” Navarro claimed. “It is a piggy bank. Matt and Mercedes Schlapp attach themselves like barnacles to Donald Trump’s ass and became incredibly wealthy and relevant and known as a result and they’ve gotten all the financial benefits which means there’s only going to be that much more.”
Griffin said the conference is “night and day” to what it would have been 10 years ago. Hostin argued that is because the Republican Party is “night and day” from what it was in 2013, and accused the party of having “no platform” to help people.
“The Republican Party is night and day from what it was ten years ago. It’s a complete freak show, if we’re being honest,” Hostin said. “My question always is, is this really representative of the people of the Republican Party? And it seems to me that it is, because you have over 60% of Republicans that still back Donald Trump.”
Griffin said the Republican Party needs to improve at tackling inflation, crime and the border crisis rather than complaining in order to win the popular vote. Navarro, seemingly taking a jab at DeSantis, said most of the country does not want drag queens and African American history being targeted.