‘The View’ Hosts and Guest Alec Baldwin Clash With Meghan McCain Over Rush Limbaugh

Alec Baldwin clashed with Meghan McCain on The View on Wednesday. He joined the panel on the day after President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, and obviously politics were a hot topic for the episode. Baldwin and McCain were particularly split over the president awarding the Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh.

None of the panelists on The View on Wednesday particularly liked the president’s speech. Baldwin broke out his impression of President Trump — honed by many performances on SNL — while McCain did her best to defend the parts she liked.

“There were a lot of moments that seemed really produced to me. His TV background really came out, especially the reuniting of the [military] families, which I loved because I love things like that,” she said. “If it weren’t Trump, I probably would have loved it.”

Joy Behar asked McCain about “the lying” in the speech, which McCain said she “didn’t notice.” She went on to say that the president had done right by conservatives by awarding the Medal of Freedom to Limbaugh.

“If you’re someone on the right, you probably liked Rush Limbaugh, who is fighting cancer, getting that medal,” she said.

McCain seemed to be alone in this opinion, and moderator Whoopi Goldberg was particularly put off. After a loud groan, she shot back.

“Now, you know, I am very sorry that Rush is ill, because you never want to wish bad stuff on people. But I’m sorry, I thought that the Medal of Freedom was supposed to go to people who actually did stuff,” she said.

At this point, Baldwin jumped in with his own joke about the odd medal award.

“I’ve decided I want to run for president so I can give the Medal of Freedom to Louis C.K.,” he said.

The joke did not quite land, as Behar even had to ask Baldwin if he was kidding. He assured her that he was. Meanwhile, Goldberg suggested other recipients for the award, including the family of Congressman Elijah Cummings. She wondered aloud why the president wouldn’t choose someone like that for the Medal of Freedom.

“Because he’s playing to his base,” McCain said. She went on to argue that Limbaugh’s achievements in the world of radio have earned him the award. Goldberg felt that this did not entitle him to the highest civilian award possible in the United States, while Behar and Sunny Hostin said that even in his radio career, Limbaugh was racist and divisive.

“The ironic thing is, there he is talking to the black community and gives Rush the medal, and Rush Limbaugh spent a lot of Obama’s tenure singing ‘Barack the Magic Negro,’” Behar said. “He’s been so racist and misogynistic over the years — who’s next? Roger Stone? How about giving it to him or Steve Bannon.”

“I don’t think it was lost on the black community that he gave that honor to Rush Limbaugh during Black History Month, sitting next to a Tuskegee airman on Rosa Parks Day,” Hostin added. “So don’t talk to me about what you did for the black community!”

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