The Women of The View Come Together to Rip AOC: Kamala Harris 'Paved the Way' for You

It doesn't happen often, but on Tuesday, the women of The View formed a united front as they dragged Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for criticizing VP Kamala Harris' immigration policy. Meghan McCain, Ana Navarro, and Whoopi Goldberg all took Harris' side in the dispute, which began after AOC tweeted that she's "disappointed" with the vice president for dissauding Central Americans from seeking refuge in the United States. "What do you think the second most powerful person, Vice President Harris, is going to do?" McCain asked the congresswoman. "Vice President Harris has paved the way for women like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and so many others, being a woman of color and being in public office for like 30 years."

"Kamala Harris was in Guatemala yesterday saying she's working on some of the root causes of the immigration crisis," said Goldberg, by way of introduction, before playing a clip of Harris requesting that Central Americans "do not come" to the U.S. "There are critics like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are calling her "disappointing," and pointing out that it's 100% legal to seek asylum at the border. So, how do you think the vice president is handling this crisis?"

Navarro was first to speak, and she explained that immigration is a "very personal" issue for her, as her family fled Nicaragua in the 1980s. "I can tell you, people don't leave their home countries just because," she said. "There's corruption, there's wars, there's gangs, there's violence, there is poverty. And I applaud Kamala Harris for going to these countries. I applaud the Biden administration for wanting to formulate a comprehensive plan."

"I would tell Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that if Kamala Harris went down there and said, 'Yes, come, apply for asylum at the border,' there would be a deluge of millions of Central Americans making a very dangerous trek," Navarro continued. "So, it is very important that we show our borders are safe, that there is security, that we do provide some ways for these refugees to seek asylum in country, if possible ... This is a lot more complicated than a tweet."

McCain agreed with "mostly everything" Navarro said (classic Meghan), but that didn't stop her from further tearing into AOC. "The idea that our vice president is going to go to Guatemala and say, 'Come to our country, open borders, everyone come,' there would be a crisis like none other," said McCain. "And also, it would be an absolute gift to President Trump and to Republicans. It would be the talking point of all talking points."

AOC CALLS OUT VP HARRIS ON IMMIGRATION: While in Guatemala to address the root causes of the immigration crisis at American borders, Vice Pres. Kamala Harris had a clear message for migrants planning to seek asylum in the U.S. — the co-hosts react. https://t.co/8iVx1wZk81 pic.twitter.com/uyOpdmxFQs

— The View (@TheView) June 8, 2021

"When I talk about on this show that I think the Squad is tone-deaf with the rest of the party, this is what I'm talking about. Because if what [AOC] thinks was actually right and what the majority of the party agreed with, then Vice President would be echoing that, and she's not," she continued. "She knows what she's doing. So, it's smart messaging on the part of the Biden administration. And I think it's smart politics, and I think it's smart policy-wise."

After the commercial break, Goldberg and Sara Haines echoed their co-hosts, but Sunny Hostin was brave enough to be a lone, albeit tepid, voice of dissent. "I was a little surprised at the clumsiness of [Harris'] language," said Hostin. "She said, 'Don't come, don't come.' She was, I think, referring to illegal passage into the United States as opposed to seeking legal asylum, which is what Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was talking about."

"Of course this country was founded on immigration, founded on people coming here legally and seeking asylum. But using those terms, those words, 'Don't come, don't come,' I think is pretty inflammatory, and I think that's why she's getting so much pushback," said Hostin. "Of course you shouldn't come here illegally, but our vice president could have done a better job in terms of her language."

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Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.