Why ‘The View’ Had to Issue a Public Apology Last Week

The View had to issue an apology on its broadcast last week. As Deadline reported, The View issued an apology for linking Turning Point USA, a conservative organization, to neo-Nazi demonstrators. The View’s co-hosts linked the two after neo-Nazi demonstrators were seen outside of a gathering for a Turning Point USA summit. 

On the July 27 episode of The View, co-host Sara Haines read the show’s apology for the mix-up. The statement read, “So on Monday we talked about the fact that were openly Neo-Nazi demonstrators outside the Florida student action summit of the Turning Point USA group. We want to make clear that these demonstrators were gathered outside the event and that they were not invited or endorsed by Turning Point USA.” Haines went on to share that a spokesperson for Turning Point USA wanted to clarify that they condemn the ideologies expressed by those demonstrators. 

“A Turning Point USA spokesman said the group, quote, ‘100 percent condemns those ideologies,’ and said Turning Point USA security tried to remove the Neo-Nazis from the area but could not because they were on public property,” Haines continued. “Also, Turning Point USA wanted us to clarify that this was a Turning Point USA summit and not a Republican Party event. So we apologize for anything we said that may have been unclear on these points.” As Haines referenced, the co-hosts discussed the situation on Monday’s episode of the show. 

The View‘s co-hosts referenced how a large group of neo-Nazi demonstrators gathered outside of a Turning Point USA conference in Tampa. Joy Behar said about the situation, “Neo-Nazis were out there in the front of the conference with anti-semitic slurs and … the Nazi swastika and a picture of a so-called Jewish person with exaggerated features, just like Goebbels did during the Third Reich. It’s the same thing, right out of the same playbook.” The episode later featured a disclaimer that expressed that Turning Point USA condemned the protestors. 

Shortly after the disclaimer was read on the show, Whoopi Goldberg said, “You let them in and you knew what they were, so you are complicit.” Goldberg later defended herself by saying that she was speaking metaphorically and issued a personal apology on a subsequent broadcast. The conversation prompted Turning Point USA to send a cease-and-desist letter to ABC News. The conservative group has also criticized the show on social media following the on-air apology.