Meghan McCain is known for the frequently controversial comments she makes as a co-host of The View, but this time, her words have one TV host asking for her resignation. On the Mar. 24 show, McCain asked if she or one of her co-hosts should be let go in order to make room for more diversity—specifically for an Asian person—and MSNBC host Tiffany Cross said, yes, McCain should lose her job.
Cross is the host of The Cross Connection, and on her Saturday, Mar. 27 episode, she said, "I'd like to have a quick conversation about identity politics and a princess called Meghan." Of course, the princess she was talking about isn't the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, but McCain. Cross then went on to explain why she thinks McCain doesn't understand identity politics, that she had an advantage in her career because of her father John McCain, and why she believes that McCain should lose her job to make room for an Asian host.
Read on to see what McCain and Cross had to say on the topic. And for more on the show, check out This Former The View Host Says Whoopi Goldberg "Really Didn't Like" Her.
On air, McCain questioned whether a current host should leave to allow for more representation.
The View/YouTubeOn an episode of The View last week, McCain spoke about Senators Tammy Duckworth and Mazie Hirono, who had said they wouldn't support any more of President Joe Biden's white cabinet nominees until he agreed to appoint an Asian American or Pacific Islander (AAPI) to a role. Biden then said that he would appoint an APPI senior White House official.
McCain took issue with this, and said that "the question Democrats have to reconcile with right now is whether or not, race and gender are more important than qualification."
Connecting this to The View, she added, "We’ve only had one Asian American host co-host this show, so does that mean that one of us should be leaving at some point because there’s not enough representation? We’re talking about is identity politics more important than qualifications for a job?"
Read more about McCain's show with This Star Almost Replaced Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View.
Cross had a simple answer to McCain's question.
MSNBC"Yes, one of you should definitely lose your job," Cross said on her show after playing the clip of McCain speaking. "I'll give you two guesses [who], but you’ll only need one."
Cross then pointed out how McCain misused the phrase "identity politics," citing a series of tweets written by feminist leader Barbara Smith that reference McCain's comments on The View. In one of her tweets, Smith writes, "I am 1 of 3 Black women who coined the term #IdentityPolitics in the #CombaheeRiverCollective Statement, 1977. @MeghanMcCain does not know what she's talking about. What we meant was that Black women have the right to determine our own political agendas, period, full stop."
From controversial View hosts to controversial guests: This Was the Worst Guest The View Ever Had, Former Host Says.
Cross also claimed that McCain is "projecting."
Kathy Hutchins/ShutterstockMcCain said that increasing diversity means that "identity politics" are being put before qualifications, which implies that diverse hires would not also be qualified for their roles. Cross took issue with this.
"Lets address this preposterous notion that somehow being a woman of color suggests that you aren’t qualified," Cross said on her show. "I actually understand that you may feel this way. Perhaps you assume that a person's ethnic identity may afford them some advantage. It's called projection, when one unconsciously ascribes traits that you don’t like about yourself and attributes them to someone else. Like, I don't know, if my only talent was who I was related to, I might assume that everyone else had some similar unfair advantage."
During the segment, Cross played a video montage of some of the many times McCain has said "my father" during interviews. While there's no doubt she and the late senator are family, here are 13 Celebrities You Had No Idea Were Related.
Cross wants McCain to support women of color.
MSNBC"Try being an ally instead of an adversary," Cross said in the segment. She brought up that, as of 2016, AAPI people only made up 3% of broadcast media, so change is needed. She also reflected on her own journey to get into broadcasting as a Black woman. "I simply ask, how dare you?" Cross concluded. "From now on, I hope you speak less and listen more and take a little time to enjoy this view."
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McCain faced another controversy last week.
The View / YouTubePrior to her comments about identity politics and AAPI hires, McCain also made headlines on Monday, Mar. 22, when she apologized for defending the former president and others calling COVID-19 "the China virus."
"I condemn the reprehensible violence and vitriol that has been targeted towards the Asian-American [sic] community," she wrote on Twitter. "There is no doubt Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric fueled many of these attacks and I apologize for any past comments that aided that agenda."
For more on McCain, read Meghan McCain Never Wants to Work With This The View Host Again.
