Whoopi Goldberg’s attempt to connect with the working class may have had the opposite effect.
On Tuesday, the panelists on “The View” were discussing why they think so many Americans voted for President-elect Donald Trump, while House Democrats outperformed Republicans. The topic was prompted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who asked her Instagram followers on Sunday essentially the same thing.
“If you voted for Donald Trump and me, or if you voted for Donald Trump and voted Democratic down-ballot, I would really love to hear from you,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in an Instagram story noting that she “genuinely” wanted “to learn” from them.
The responses varied, but some did cite the economy and financial struggles. One response also noted that, “I feel like Trump and you are both real.”
“The View” co-host Sara Haines — who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris — admitted on Tuesday’s episode that she was still having a hard time wrapping her head around why working-class Americans think Trump has their best interest at heart.
“There were millions and millions of people who felt heard [by Trump], and that’s what I’m trying to walk into,” she explained, noting that like Ocasio-Cortez, she wants to understand, “assess” the reasons why, and “go forward.”
Co-host Ana Navarro followed up Haines’ remarks by pointing out that people tend to know their congress people and senators, but “a lot of people kept on saying they didn’t know Kamala.”
“So, people who are going to run again in four years, they better start getting known,” Navarro said.
At this point, Goldberg seemed visibly annoyed, and interjected.
“I’m sorry, when you have one candidate who has been running for 12 years, who lies and changes things... I appreciate that people are having a hard time, me too — I work for a living!” she said. “If I had all the money in the world, I would not be here, OK? So, I’m a working person, you know?”
“My kid has to feed her family. My great-granddaughter has to be fed by her family. I know it’s hard out there,” Goldberg continued.
“We talk to people all the time who say: ‘This is what’s bothering me.’ But, the thing that’s bothering everybody should not be the thing that puts 85% of other people in danger. I think that’s what we’re saying,” Goldberg concluded.
It’s unclear exactly how much money Goldberg makes, but Variety reported in 2016 that her salary on “The View” is in “the $5 to $6 million range.”
Meghan McCain, who was previously a co-host on “The View” argued on her podcast “Citizen McCain” in April that many of the panelists on the daytime talkshow are too far removed from the realities of everyday American life.
McCain said she once confronted her fellow panelists in a meeting about how out of touch they were.
“I remember yelling at the meeting that, ‘Some of you, or all of you, are going to have to start interacting with people who don’t make $100,000 a year or more,’” she recalled 21 minutes into the episode. “‘You have to interact with someone who makes minimum wage, on some level or another.’”
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