On Thursday, Sunny Hostin, a co-host on the show ‘The View,’ made headlines by asserting that the United States is a ‘misogynistic country’ because it has never elected a female president. Her claims sparked a heated discussion among her fellow co-hosts, who disagreed on the role of sexism in the electoral outcomes of prominent female candidates. While Hostin attributed the repeated losses of women like Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris to systemic misogyny, others, including Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin, argued that the issue was more nuanced and did not solely stem from sexism.
Hostin’s remarks were in response to Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democratic representative from Texas, who previously raised concerns during a podcast appearance about the potential reluctance of Democrats to nominate another female candidate for president in 2028, citing the defeats of Clinton in 2016 and Harris in 2024. Haines, responding to Crockett’s comments, warned that it was important to stop oversimplifying what the American public is ready for in terms of presidential candidates. However, co-host Joy Behar interjected, stating that the fact that women had lost twice in presidential elections was a reality that could not be ignored.
This led to a back-and-forth between the co-hosts, with Haines questioning whether there were no distinguishing factors among the women who ran and lost. Hostin then took the opportunity to declare, ‘This country is a misogynistic country, and this country is a country that, out of all the first-world countries, hasn’t been able to elect a female president. That’s just factual.’ Her statement reignited the debate about the role of gender in American politics and the broader challenges women face in securing the presidency.
Former President Joe Biden also entered the conversation, having sat down with the co-hosts of ‘The View’ the previous week. During their discussion, Biden stated that he believed sexism played a key role in the loss of Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. He emphasized that while Harris was highly qualified, the way her campaign was portrayed in the media likely influenced the outcome. However, other co-hosts like Alyssa Farah Griffin argued that there were multiple contributing factors to Harris’ loss, including the dynamics of the primary race and the broader political landscape, rather than a singular cause like sexism.
The discussion among the co-hosts highlighted the ongoing debate about the intersection of gender and politics in the United States. While some, like Hostin and Biden, see the lack of female presidents as evidence of structural misogyny, others argue that the situation is more complex and influenced by a variety of political, social, and economic factors. As the 2028 election cycle looms, these discussions are likely to continue, shaping the discourse around women in politics and the future of American leadership.