Sunny Hostin, a co-host on "The View," expressed her discontent on Friday about living in the United States under the Trump administration, suggesting that the country is more "racist" than any European nation.
This comment was made in response to comedian Rosie O'Donnell's decision to relocate to Ireland to escape the Trump era, a move that sparked a heated debate among the show's co-hosts.
According to the Daily Caller, Alyssa Farah Griffin, another co-host, countered Hostin's argument, asserting that Americans enjoy more opportunities and rights than many Europeans. She also rebutted Hostin's claim that American democracy is failing. Griffin argued that O'Donnell's decision to leave the U.S. is a privilege that most Americans do not have.
Griffin stated, "I think Americans love to think were so far behind Europe and theyre so progressive and ahead of us. Its just not really the case, we remain one of the most ethnically diverse nations on Earth, the one where youre most likely to come from one socioeconomic class and in your lifetime, be in a completely different one. This table doesnt exist in a lot of Europe. On LGBTQ rights issues, we are about as advanced as most of Europe.
Hostin, however, maintained her stance, stating, Were pretty racist, too, though. Its a pretty young democracy that doesnt seem to be working right now and so I do think it doesnt seem to be working for everyone and I think thats Rosie ODonnells prerogative and thats her point. It doesnt work for her family and she is one of the few people that can pick her life up and move it somewhere, most of us are stuck here.
While the debate on the show revolved around the comparison between the U.S. and Europe, it's worth noting that European democracies have been criticized for suppressing free speech and expression, replacing them with censorship and arrests for so-called hate speech crimes. For instance, in Great Britain, military veteran Adam Smith-Connor was arrested and later convicted for silently praying within a buffer zone surrounding an abortion clinic.
Furthermore, in August 2024, a 61-year-old British man named David Spring was sentenced to 18 months in prison for chanting who the f*** is Allah at a right-wing protest. Scotland also passed a law prohibiting prayer within 200 meters of an abortion clinic. These instances highlight the increasing restrictions on free speech in Europe, which have led to citizens being prosecuted for their online statements.
In the wake of violent riots in the summer of 2024, the U.K. implemented several digital speech laws that regulate what is defined as hate speech, misinformation, or harmful content. The nation also threatened to extradite any U.S. citizens who made any online statements that could allegedly cause violence.
Vice President J.D. Vance criticized European leaders for abandoning some of their most fundamental values in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on February 14. He cited examples such as Smith-Connors arrest and the cancellation of elections in Romania.
Meanwhile, President Trump, who has a long-standing feud with ODonnell, mocked her decision to leave the U.S. during a press conference with Irish Prime Minister Michel Martin. He stated that he is better off not knowing who she is. This feud dates back to the 2016 Republican presidential debate when Megyn Kelly accused Trump of referring to women as a fat pig, a dog, and a slob, to which Trump responded that he only referred to ODonnell by those names.
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