On Tuesday’s (September 16) live new edition of The View, Whoopi Goldberg got intensely fired up over the lead “Hot Topic” of the day. First, the panelists reviewed interview footage of Donald Trump‘s attorney general, Pam Bondi, promising to “target” and “go after” people who express hate speech in the wake of Charlie Kirk‘s murder. They then noted that she took to social media to clarify that what she really meant was the Department of Justice will act on hate speech that begets political violence. After that, the cohosts and moderator sounded off on the original claim.
“There’s no one that I know who thinks political violence is any kind of acceptable way to do anything, but Bondi is blurring the lines when it comes to what constitutes hate speech,” Goldberg said. “I always thought that this administration campaigned on ending the weaponization of free speech. So I know there’s a lot of stuff people say that I don’t like. I don’t like it, but as an American, I have the right to say I don’t like it, and they have the right to say it. I will fight for their right to say stuff I don’t like because I will say stuff they don’t like, and I don’t want them on my behind about it either.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin then weighed in and added, “It was important she clarified it because that was a complete mis-stating of the First Amendment… It’s actually hate speech that is the most protected speech. Yes, the right to offend people in the public square.” She also noted that Kirk himself was an advocate for freedom of speech and the right to say even hateful things. “So it’s not in line with the legacy he would have wanted,” she explained.
Griffin also noted that freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences by non-government actors. “There is a distinction between the government cracking down on speech and then consequence culture. Companies do not have to keep you on the payroll when you say something that’s out of step.”
Sara Haines echoed Griffin’s point about Kirk’s own philosophy on free speech as well as the potential for personal consequences to hate speech. “I don’t think people should weaponize his memory or his life by politicizing free speech,” she said.
Goldberg closed out the conversation by restating her initial thought on the matter, saying, “That is America. Those are the foundations of this country because the founding fathers didn’t want the king up their behind when they were pissed about what the king was doing, so they wanted to split it off. This is fundamental U.S.A. This is American. This is what makes us different than so many other countries. So, leave it alone. Free speech is free speech, whether you like it or not. Everyone has the right to say what they say.”
The View, Weekdays, 11 a.m. ET, ABC