Charlamagne Tha God, the outspoken host of The Breakfast Club, found himself in a heated exchange on The View, highlighting the tensions between celebrity influence and political endorsements. The radio personality appeared on the ABC talk show to promote his latest book, Get Honest or Die Lying, only to have the discussion pivot sharply towards his political stance, or rather, his refusal to endorse any presidential candidate for the upcoming election.
Sunny Hostin, one of The View’s cohosts, initiated the political dialogue by pointing out Charlamagne’s substantial influence and questioning his decision not to endorse anyone, “Since this book is all about having real conversations, let’s get to it. You have a massive platform. You and I have talked about this before. You endorsed Joe Biden back in 2020, but this time around, you said you’re not going to endorse anybody. Charlamagne, now is not the time, in my opinion, to sit this one out.”
Charlamagne’s response was immediate and clear. “I didn’t say that,” he corrected Hostin, clarifying that he intends to vote in November but prefers to focus on issues rather than individuals. “What I like to focus on is issues, not individuals.”
Hostin pressed further, asking why Charlamagne wouldn’t endorse Biden specifically. His answer was a sharp critique of the current political landscape. “Because if I’m sitting here telling my listeners that you have somebody out there who’s a threat to democracy, somebody out there who said they want to suspend the constitution and overthrow the results of the election — you saw this person try to lead an attempted coup of this country — and I’m telling people that this guy is a threat to democracy,” he explained. “There’s only two candidates out there. If I’m saying that about this individual, the choice is clear, right?”
Charlamagne’s frustrations with the show’s approach became more apparent as he referenced a past interview with rapper Killer Mike. “I’ve seen y’all do this on The View before,” he noted. “Killer Mike literally sat here and said, ‘hey, I supported Keisha Lance Bottoms, I supported Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff in Georgia.’ He said you should support the person who the people I support are supporting. That’s y’all’s opportunity to say, ‘clearly, he’s talking about Biden.’ Why do y’all need us to say this we don’t feel comfortable saying it?”
Whoopi Goldberg, another cohost, stepped in to defend the show’s stance, suggesting that such endorsements are necessary for the audience. “I think other folks need to hear,” she said. “One of the things that we’ve been talking about is the fact that getting facts out through the media seems to be very difficult.”
Charlamagne wasn’t convinced, maintaining that his stance is clear enough. “I feel like I just spewed some facts,” he replied, to which Goldberg emphasized the need for him to share these facts on his own platform as well.
Unwilling to mince words, Charlamagne expressed his disillusionment with both major political parties, declaring, “I think both candidates are trash, but I am going to vote in November and I’m going to vote in my best interest and who can preserve democracy. Would you rather I endorse an individual or endorse the fact that we need to go out here and protect democracy?”
This is not the first time Charlamagne has openly criticized the political endorsement culture. He has previously expressed his regret over his 2020 endorsement of Biden, labeling Republicans as “crooks” and Democrats as “cowards.” His disillusionment is further compounded by experiences such as the one with Killer Mike, where guests on The View are seemingly pushed to make explicit endorsements.
Charlamagne made it unequivocally clear where he stands. “The reality is I think both candidates are trash, but I am going to vote in November and going to vote my best interest, and I’m going to vote for who I think can preserve democracy. So if I think both candidates are trash and I don’t feel like endorsing one, would you rather me endorse an individual or endorse the fact that, hey, we need to go out and defend democracy?”
Relevant articles:
– Charlamagne Tha God calls out “The View” for pressuring guests to endorse politicians during tense interview, Entertainment Weekly, 05/23/2024
– Charlamagne Tha God slams ‘The View’ over politics in live interview, Entertainment Weekly News, 05/22/2024
– The View: Charlamagne tha God Calls Out Hosts for Pushing Celebs to Endorse Political Candidates, TheWrap, 05/22/2024
– Charlamagne Tha God Calls Out ‘The View’ After Feeling Pressure To Endorse Presidential Candidate: “Why Do Y’all Need Us To Say This If We Don’t Feel Comfortable Saying It?”, Deadline, 05/22/2024
– ‘Both Candidates Are Trash’: Charlamagne tha God Refuses to Endorse President Joe Biden Ahead of 2024 Election, OK!, 05/22/2024
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