What started out as a segment about the way Fox News has changed its tune on the coronavirus pandemic soon turned personal when Meghan McCain called out Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a former co-host on The View, for saying she would “pray” it away.
After praising Fox’s Tucker Carlson for reportedly persuading President Donald Trump to take the outbreak more seriously, McCain said that as “the only conservative in the entire world left on mainstream media, at least that’s how it feels most of the time,” she finds herself getting “tribal” and assuming that everything is an “attack” against Republicans.
“And by the way, we had it happen on this show as well. Not with me, but we had it happen on this show as well, lest we forget,” McCain added. “We had a Republican saying we should wash our hands and pray it away. So it wasn't just on Fox News that it was happening, it happened right here on The View.”
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She didn’t name names, but it was clear who she was talking about.
Last Wednesday, just as the terrifying reality of the pandemic was starting to set in for most Americans, The View welcomed back former co-host Hasselbeck, who later went on to join Fox & Friends. Ahead of her appearance, McCain had kind words for her fellow conservative, but was apparently horrified by her response to the crisis.
After praising Trump’s “leadership,” Hasselbeck proceeded to downplay the severity of the crisis. “There can be a fine line between what is taking precaution and what is panic,” she said. “Yes, we’re going to take precautions, we’re going to Purell, pray that God’s got us in our tomorrows, right? We pray that this coronavirus is extinguished, that it’s stopped in its tracks.”
“I think we should prepare. I think we should pray. I’m not going to let coronavirus rule me!” she added later before reaching for more hand sanitizer.
