OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former advisor to former President Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway and Alyssa Farah Griffin, who used to be colleagues, exploded during a segment of the ABC Daytime talk show “The View.”
The incident occurred on Tuesday’s episode of the show as Conway and Griffin, who was a spokesperson for former Vice President Mike Pence, clashed as Griffin wanted to take swipes at former President Trump.
“I broke with the president ahead of January 6th when the big lie started being shared. I spoke out about January 6th when I saw a violent mob assault the Capitol,” Griffin said, grandstanding.
“Is there a question in here?” Conway responded.
“How do you still defend him, do you still think he could be a good president after he tried to overturn our democracy?” Griffin said.
“I left three months before you did, for my children, I have four of them, I said less drama more mama,” Conway said. “That’s exactly what I did. You stayed a whole month after the election that you have a problem with.”
“I wanted to help my junior staff get jobs,” Griffin argued.
“That’s good and I think people should know that, because I haven’t seen you since you’ve changed,” Conway said. “But I want to say this to you —”
“I didn’t change,” Griffin said “Just to be clear, I didn’t change. I swore an oath to the Constitution —”
“You get to talk here every day. I’m here as a guest,” Conway hit back.
“I didn’t change. I swore an oath to the Constitution not to Donald Trump,” Griffin said again.
“As we all did,” Conway said to cheers from the audience.
Conway said that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was part of the problem, saying that he did not “match the moment for a global pandemic, a re-election campaign.”
“Neither did Donald Trump,” Griffin argued.
“I was on ABC live on January 6th. With George Stephanopoulos. And I said, people have to get out of the Capitol, what are you doing there? Why have you breached the Capitol?” Conway said.
“But you’re still supporting Donald Trump now,” Griffin argued.
“Alyssa, if you’re saying that somehow you think we’re supposed to think that you’ve seen the light and not just seen your name in lights, that’s not fair,” Conway said, suggesting that Griffin went against the former president when she was able to cash in on it.
“That’s such a cheap shot,” Griffin said. “You’re not answering the question.”
"That's not fair!" "That's such a cheap shot!" Kellyanne Conway and Alyssa Farah Griffin clash on #TheView. pic.twitter.com/22qdaYmTnj
— Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) May 24, 2022
Two weeks ago, actress, comedian and cohost Whoopi Goldberg said that “it doesn’t matter” when someone else believes an unborn baby has rights.
“This is an uncomfortable conversation we have to have, at what point does a baby in the womb have rights?” conservative guest cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin said.
“Listen, it doesn’t matter when you think it is, if I don’t think that that’s when it is—” Goldberg said.
“But is it at nine months, is it in the third trimester?” Griffin chimed in.
“I don’t have to tell you, it’s your decision,” Goldberg responded. “What you do with your body and how your family works and for me, I don’t care what your religious beliefs are.”
“It’s none of your business,” Joy Behar said as the two were talking.
“But it’s not even religion, it’s an important philosophical debate,” Griffin interjected. “When does the baby in the womb have rights?”
“But it is!” Goldberg said.
Days before that, Democrat Texas candidate for governor, Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke was on the show when Griffin pressed him on when abortions should not be allowed.
“What is not theoretical and what is happening the state of Texas is a total abortion ban, that so-called trigger law, that goes into effect in Texas 30 days after this decision is finally rendered, we think sometime this summer,” the candidate said. “That will mean that no one in the state of Texas beginning at conception will be able to make her own decisions about her own body or her own future.”
“This is not about life, if it were about life, the governor would do something about our foster care system in Texas,” he said.
“I do want to press further,” Griffin said. “Because you’re a progressive hero, there’s so many people around the country who admire you and your leadership. Do you believe in any limitations on abortion, whether it’s the third trimester or up even until the final months, 9 months?”
“I think Roe v. Wade, which we should remind ourselves is still the law of the land today, is the reference point that I would look to and the way I think I can best express this is that I trust women,” O’Rourke said. We should all trust women to make their own decisions that are in their best interest for themselves and their healthcare and for their future. That’s the way it’s been literally my entire life, I’m 49-year-old, will be 50 this year, but that’s the way it should be going forward.”
