Critics pounce on Meghan McCain’s comments about Asian representation on ‘The View’

By Meryl Kornfield
March 25, 2021 at 12:45 a.m. EDT

“The View” co-host Meghan McCain is once again under fire after saying Wednesday that she feared “identity politics” would allow Asian people to get jobs over White people.

The show’s panelists were discussing calls by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) for more Asian American Pacific and Islander, or AAPI, representation among President Biden’s Cabinet. While the other co-hosts endorsed greater representation, McCain, who is considered the show’s conservative voice, questioned whether promoting AAPI figures would deal a blow to candidates who are more worthy of the positions — an assertion that earned a quick rebuke from many who said talent and diversity are not mutually exclusive.

Her comments were so widely shared on social media that her name became one of the top trending topics Wednesday on Twitter. By that evening, one video clip had more than 2.5 million views on the platform.

People pointed out that McCain’s argument was not an uncommon one in national discussions about race-conscious policies, including affirmative action, but that it was built around a perception that people of color fall short compared with White competitors. Others said McCain, the daughter of the late senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), was hypocritical, given the role her family’s identity has played in her media career.

McCain and “The View” declined to comment to The Post about the reaction to her comments.

-snip-