Meghan McCain on Thursday slammed her fellow co-hosts on ABC's "The View" for not learning lessons from the 2016 presidential election, warning that they are "doomed to repeat the same mistakes" if they are not careful.
McCain's comments were triggered by a war of words with co-host Sunny Hostin that began on Tuesday, when Hostin said of the 2016 election, "I feel better that [Hillary Clinton] won the popular vote because that tells me that the majority of Americans understand that racism is wrong, that otherism is wrong, and that a woman can lead."
McCain said the next day that Hostin was implying that people voted for President Donald Trump "because they're racist or because they're misogynist."
Hostin defended herself on Thursday, rejecting the idea that she labeled all Trump supporters.
"I do not think that all Trump voters are racist, and I didn't say that. I have friends, I have family, I have colleagues that voted for Trump, and so I don't think those people are racist. I think they're good people," Hostin said, before citing various examples of Trump on the campaign trail and as president exhibiting behavior that she believes fuels bigotry.
"The list goes on and on and on, so when people hear that and look the other way and not only look the other way, but vote for him, regardless of their personal motivation whether it be race, whether it be personal financial gain, I think you're somewhat complicit in that," Hostin said. "You don't have to be a racist to allow racism to flourish."
McCain said that she agreed with some of Hostin's points, before adding that she has spent a lot of time in "Red America" and understands the average Trump voter.
She then pushed back against Hostin for suggesting that voters are complicit, noting that many Trump supporters felt left behind during the Obama administration and that the election was about poverty.
Later in the segment, McCain got heated and said that it is an "intense challenge" to explain "her people" on the show and that she "tries very hard every day."
"Which are your people?" co-host Joy Behar asked.
"I consider red-state people my people," McCain said, prompting the other co-hosts to point out that she did not vote for Trump.
McCain acknowledged that she did not support Trump for personal reasons, noting the incident during the Republican primary when Trump said that her father, Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), was "not a war hero." She then reflected on how she tried to understand supporters of Barack Obama after the 2008 election and what Republicans were doing wrong.
"I don't think the same respect is being done to Trump no matter how much you hate him, and I get it. Trust me, I get how much everybody hates Trump," McCain said. I understand, but I'm just saying that you are doomed to repeat the same mistakes that you did in 2016 if you think it's only about 'you're complicit as this voter.'"
She later called out Democrats for their hatred of Republican politicians, noting their habit of name-calling.
"When you call George W. Bush 'Hitler.' When you call my father 'Hitler.' When you call Mitt Romney 'Hitler,' at a certain point if you cry wolf long enough the beast shows up," McCain said. "So I'm sitting here telling you that we have to find some common ground here, and I try every single day and I feel like I'm failing right now."