‘The View’ Sparks Frenzied Antisemitism Debate: “Not An Argument That You Should ‘Both Sides’”

The View launched into a loaded discussion about the troubling rise of antisemitism on today’s episode, during which Sara Haines and Sunny Hostin clashed once again as tensions continue to rise at the panel ahead of next week’s midterm elections.

After high-profile figures like Kanye West and Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving recently sparked outrage for pushing antisemitic rhetoric and ideas, The View dove in during Hot Topics, sparking a debate about the response to such incidents and who is responsible for fueling the concerning trend.

Alyssa Farah Griffin, The View‘s conservative voice, claimed the influx of antisemitism is coming from both the left and the right, bringing up Rep. Ilhan Omar “playing to anti-Jewish tropes” with her 2019 comments criticizing Israel.

“Antisemitism is on the rise around the globe. It’s not just in the U.S. There is something wrong that this seems to still get away,” Griffin said. “You have leaders, right and the left, that have gone too far.”

But Hostin hit back, reminding Griffin that Omar “got training and spoke out again” following backlash to her Israel comments.

“Far-right extremists are responsible for the overwhelming majority of domestic extremist-related murders in 2021,” Hostin said. “The FBI director made it very clear that this is coming from one group. So this is not an argument, in my view, that you should both sides. You need to call out where it’s coming from.”

Haines wasn’t swayed though, telling her co-host, “the unique part of antisemitism is that it actually is pretty equally represented and allowed on both sides. Full stop.”

But it wasn’t “full stop” for Hostin, who tightly replied, “I don’t agree with that.”

And Ana Navarro was right there to back her up, casting doubt on “this both sides thing” by telling the panel, “Bigotry exists everywhere. But there’s a big difference. The reason why I don’t think this is a both sides type of thing is because you have a Joe Biden, who two days ago got up and made a full speech in front of the nation against hate-fueled violence.”

Griffin pushed back, once again invoking Omar’s comments, but Navarro reminded her that Speaker Nancy Pelosi had “made [Omar] apologize” for her words. The reminder set off Haines, who objected to Navarro’s framing of the issue.

“When we say ‘But’ and then we focus on just white supremacists or do this, it’s convenient for our narrative,” she said, while Hostin, not willing to back down either, spoke up to say, “But antisemitism is rooted in white supremacy.”

Haines continued talking right over her, insisting, “the problem is, racism is racism is racism. Everybody gets called out.”

The View airs weekdays at 11/10c on ABC. Watch today’s heated debate in the video above.