Meghan McCain is stirring controversy and mockery over comments she made on The View over representation of minorities in workplaces, with many users citing nepotism as the reason she was hired at hers.
On Wednesday, March 24, the daughter of late Republican senator and 2008 presidential candidate John McCain and the ABC talk show's conservative co-host spoke out about legal cases involving universities' usage of affirmative action in admissions as well as a provision of the recent $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that benefits farmers of color who are socially disadvantaged, explaining that she was "concerned that women farmers were not included in the stimulus along with African-American farmers."
"If you have someone more qualified who happens to be a white straight person who has more experience in whatever field they're being nominated for than a minority with less experience, are we in a place where this matters?" McCain asked on The View. "We're going to a place where even if people need money, even if people are qualified to get into Ivy Leagues, race and gender is more important than your skill qualifications, the content of your character. It is not what Martin Luther King Jr. preached. I think this is a very, very slippery slope."
Twitter user @miketheidealist tweeted in response to her comments, "What are her qualifications for anything???" to which user @Strongarm_99 responded, "Her dad. That's it."
User @ErieNotEerie wrote, "Irony is Meghan McCain talking about 'qualifications for the job' when her only qualification for being a co-host on #TheView was being John McCain's daughter."
Following similar tweets, Meghan later posted on Twitter a GIF of a scene from A League of Their Own with Tom Hanks, writing, "There's no crying in baseball. I've accumulated tough, crocodile skin being in this industry as long as I have. I know who I am and what I believe in this world - just glad I can keep so many (many!!) of you talking and thinking even if it's that you hate me and my opinions."
Meghan has often sparked backlash over her opinions since she joined The View as a regular co-host in 2017 after years of working as a political writer and contributing commentator on Fox News and MSNBC. On Wednesday's episode of The View, Meghan also brought the issue of minority representation in the workplace back home.
"The View is 25 years old next year," she said. "We've only had one Asian American host, co-host this show [note: Lisa Ling co-hosted The View from 1999 to 2002]. 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 of the job, and I think that's a question going forward that the Progressive Left is going to have to reconcile."
"White woman who got her job because of who her daddy was now has concerns about the 'qualifications' of non-white people seeking the same job," tweeted user @ecrire831. "ok sure Jan."
User @WrongMelissa tweeted, "Meghan McCain talking about 'qualifications' for a spot on The View is hilarious. If anything, Lisa Ling outranks her 100x over. Meghan should go. Lisa should be brought in. Two hearts If your name wasnt McCain, you wouldn't be there anyway, girl. [sic]"
"Meghan McCain is LITERALLY only successful because of nepotism," tweeted user @KashmiriChai32. "What is she talking about."
ABC has not commented on Meghan's remarks. A source close to the production told E! News that her comments about a co-host having to leave of course raised a few eyebrows behind-the-scenes, so, "it's basically just another day at The View."
"It is not surprising to hear her make a bold statement like this," the source said, adding that Meghan is known and encouraged to be outspoken and passionate on certain issues.
The source also said that "it is too soon to tell at this point" if her statement will be addressed any further or if the show will be looking to add an Asian American co-host to the panel.
On The View, Meghan also spoke about Thai-American Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth's recent demand that President Joe Biden commit to a more diverse Cabinet, amid a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States. On Wednesday, the White House announced that it will add a senior level Asian American Pacific Islander liaison who will "ensure the community's voice is further represented and heard."
"I was very surprised to hear someone like Tammy Duckworth say something like this. She got a lot of blowback from a lot of people, not just on the Right," Meghan said. "And I think this is actually just the natural progression of identity politics."
"Yes, please tell all of us more about 'identity politics,'" tweeted user @SamanthaDarby, "Meghan MCCAIN, DAUGHTER OF JOHN MCCAIN."