The women of The View are taking Dr. Oz and Herschel Walker to task for being part of a class of politicians who rely more on celebrity than actual expertise.
Decider reports that The View panel started talking about celebrity politicians because of a report that Fox News commentators started going against Donald Trump’s endorsement of Dr. Oz for the U.S. Senate. Joy Behar started the talk by saying that Trump claimed that Oz’s high television ratings weighed as much as any political poll. But that doesn’t say anything about his political prowess, Behar said.
The panel, including Hostin and guest hosts Julia Haart and Deborah Roberts to talk about why politics has become so celebrity-focused, with Hostin saying that she was "shocked" when Trump won on his so-called business acumen.
“I was shocked along with a lot of people that Donald Trump won on his business record because he bankrupt casinos and he wasn’t a real businessman,” she said. “It was fake, Celebrity Apprentice stuff–that was like a fake television show? And I’m surprised at Oz’s celebrity. Because people seem to forget that he was grilled on Capitol Hill about his fake pushing of a weight-loss drug. And he settled a lawsuit for over $5 million. He didn’t claim any responsibility, but he did settle that lawsuit, and so a lot of people, I think, are now questioning his credentials as a celebrity doctor.”
After Behar asked he was a "very respected heart surgeon," Hostin answered that he was until his talk show, in which he promoted various unhealthy weight-loss drugs and health claims.
“And so I thought he sort of went into ill-repute. But that’s obviously not important to a lot of people,” she continued. “Certainly isn’t important to the former twice-disgraced, impeached president.”
She continued her lament over politics by switching to Walker, a retired football player who is going up against Democrat U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. “Herschel Walker lied about graduating from the University of Georgia,” she said. “He siad he was the valedictorian and he didn’t even graduate.”
Roberts, who also graduated from the university the same year Walker won his Heisman Trophy, admitted that Walker is "a very charismatic guy," but said that she's sad people don't check their candidates' credentials before rooting for them.
“Last I checked, Oprah [Winfrey] wasn’t conservative,” she said, going back to Dr. Oz’s rise to fame, which came in large part from Winfrey being behind his television show. “So I don’t necessarily think it’s all about their credentials. I think it’s about their charisma. And sadly, people do buy into that in our society. And right now, we’re in this world where it seems like anything goes.”
While Haart also chimed in saying that having expertise in one area doesn't mean a person will have expertise in all areas, everyone talked glowingly about Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was a comedic film and television actor in Ukraine before becoming a politician.
So far, Zelenskyy has been excelling in leading his country through the war Russia has waged, with Haart saying he was “doing an extraordinary job.”
But Hostin talked about how “old-school politicians” used to be, when a person “started on the city council…And then ran for president of the city council. And then became the mayor. And then became the congressperson and the governor.”
Broken politics usually gives the women of The View a lot to argue about with each other. But this time, it actually united them on a common front, something that would be nice to see more of on the show.
