‘The View’ Co-Host Meghan McCain Slammed by Sunny Hostin After Controversial Remarks About Shutdown

The government shutdown may be over for now, but fans are still reeling from the last discussion about it on Thursday’s episode of The View.

Things got tense as the women of ABC‘s The View turned to politics on Thursday. Meghan McCain, the show’s most outspoken Republican voice, tried to pin partial blame for the federal government shut down on Democrats, and her co-hosts — particularly Sunny Hostin — were not having it.

“To Democrats, you as a Democrat, what culpability do you hold in this? Because everyone is screwed right now,” McCain said, in a clip that included plenty of shouting. “We’re talking about TSA workers that aren’t getting paid. People aren’t getting paid. Both sides should be adults about this including on this show to get it right, and I’m sick of playing politics on this show every day with issues that affect everyone.”

McCain’s “both sides” rhetoric did not sit well with her co-hosts, particularly as they had just seen a clip of the president saying he was “proud to shut down the government” in his Oval Office negotiation with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. Hostin practically yelled her rebuttal to McCain, pausing as McCain tried to speak over her.

“However, isn’t it true that Trump manufactured this nightmare? Isn’t it true that Trump started – let me finish, oh my God,” she said. “Isn’t it true that Trump manufactured this need for the wall? He’s the one that pulled DACA. He’s the one that –”

At that point, McCain successfully interrupted Hostin, saying: “He’s also the president. He has that power.”

“He’s also the person that already said he would take responsibility for the shutdown,” Hostin went on. “I don’t understand why all of a sudden both sides are responsible for the shutdown.”

In the end, McCain resorted to the president’s own argument, claiming that the shut down was worth suffering through if it got results.

“It’s for the good of the country,” McCain insisted. “It’s for the good of America.”

McCain’s defense of the president is somewhat puzzling, as she has repeatedly stated her opposition to the proposed border wall, which is the main point of contention in the shut down negotiations.

McCain is often at the center of shouting matches on The View, coming to blows with Hostin and Joy Behar over politics. This season, she was joined by Fox News’ Abby Huntsman in an attempt to add another conservative voice to the table, though the two of them often disagree as well.

The View airs on weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.