'The View' Co-Hosts Clash Over School Choice Debate: ‘She’s Been Talking For 3 Minutes!’
The co-hosts of ABC’s The View had another fiery exchange this week during a discussion about President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory and its implications.
The debate began when the panel turned to Trump’s cabinet picks, specifically his nominee for education secretary, Linda McMahon. Co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin found themselves in a heated disagreement over the contentious topic of school choice.
“When you hear about school choice, it’s really connected to the voucher system,” Hostin asserted. She explained that the Department of Education oversees $18.4 billion allocated to high-poverty K-12 schools—institutions serving children from disadvantaged neighborhoods, like her upbringing in the South Bronx projects.
Hostin criticized vouchers, arguing, “The studies show very clearly that they fund students already attending private schools. So people with money get those vouchers, use the vouchers to pay less for their private schools, and their kids go on to do well. Where do you get the money for vouchers? You pull that money from the poor schools.” She added, “Wealthy families are overwhelmingly the recipients of school voucher tax credits, I’m not making this up.”
She referenced a 2020 study that found only half of states with voucher systems required teachers to possess a bachelor’s degree, training, or a teaching license.
Griffin interjected, asking Hostin for the source of the study, but Hostin continued to speak. “That’s just not my experience, if I may get in just to make it a conversation,” Griffin attempted, only to have Hostin keep going. Griffin then pointed out, “I went to public school, I believe you got to go to private school,” addressing Hostin’s background.
The conversation escalated until co-host Whoopi Goldberg intervened. Cutting to commercial, Goldberg remarked that no one could follow the argument anymore. Griffin added in frustration, “I haven’t gotten a word in, she’s been talking for three minutes.”
After the break, Goldberg reminded everyone that the beauty of the show lies in its diverse perspectives. Meanwhile, co-host Joy Behar candidly admitted the panel's feelings, saying, “We lost the election. We’re miserable. Half of this country is miserable. And let’s just tell the truth: We hate that he won. We hate it. And everybody is uptight and crazy right now.”
Hostin reiterated her claim that voucher programs don’t improve students’ performance, saying, “That’s the truth.” However, Griffin countered with statistics and her experience working on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program during her time in Congress. Griffin argued that tax dollars should follow the student to help families in areas where schools may be underperforming.
“It’s simply that a parent should be able to make the best choice for their student,” Griffin said. “I also think that there are schools that are falling behind. It doesn’t mean they don’t deserve education, but I don’t think students should be victims of a falling-behind school. Their life is at stake, their future, their earning potential.”
Hostin countered by highlighting her background in the South Bronx, remarking, “That’s the inequity.” Griffin pressed further, asking again, “Did you get to go to a private school?”
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As tensions rose, Goldberg stepped in once more, threatening to end the discussion.
In a related development, Hostin recently deleted her account on X (formerly Twitter) following Trump’s election win. She described the decision as a “patriotic” move during an interview on the Behind The Table podcast, citing her discomfort with the platform’s ownership by Trump supporter Elon Musk.