Alec Baldwin and ‘The View’ Clash With Meghan McCain Over Rush Limbaugh Honor

“Our economy is stronger now than it’s ever been,” Alec Baldwin said, eagerly showing off his SNL Trump impression seconds after sitting down Wednesday morning to co-host The View following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. 

No one was totally sold on Trump’s speech, including the sole conservative at the table, Meghan McCain, who said, “There were a lot of moments that seemed really produced to me. His TV background really came out, especially the reuniting of the [military] families, which I loved because I love things like that.” Noting that the speech got an 82-percent approval rating from independents, according to a CBS News poll, she added, “If it weren’t Trump, I probably would have loved it.” 

“Even with the lying, though?” Joy Behar shot back.

McCain went on to say that she “didn’t notice” the lies, but one other moment stood out to her as a highlight.

“If you're someone on the right, you probably liked Rush Limbaugh, who is fighting cancer, getting that medal,” she said, referring to the Presidential Medal of Freedom that First Lady Melania Trump hung around the controversial radio host’s neck during the address. 

That take prompted a loud groan from Whoopi Goldberg. After excoriating Trump for trying to lift up one little girl into a charter school instead of taking broader action on America’s public-school system, Goldberg turned her attention back to Limbaugh. 

“Now, you know, I am very sorry that Rush is ill, because you never want to wish bad stuff on people,” Goldberg said. “But I’m sorry, I thought that the Medal of Freedom was supposed to go to people who actually did stuff.” 

Baldwin then jumped in with this threat: “I’ve decided I want to run for president so I can give the Medal of Freedom to Louis C.K.” Behar couldn’t quite tell if he was joking or not and he had to assure her that he was.

“How about if you're going to give the Medal of Freedom to someone who actually has made differences in the country and done all kinds of stuff, how about giving it to Elijah Cummings’ wife as a thank-you for all of his service?” Goldberg asked. 

“Because he’s playing to his base,” McCain responded before arguing that Limbaugh deserves the highest civilian honor because he, at some point, has garnered up to 30 million listeners a day. When Goldberg asked what he has done that “merits” the Medal of Freedom, McCain said, “He changed the paradigm of radio.”

“The ironic thing is, there he is talking to the black community and gives Rush the medal, and Rush Limbaugh spent a lot of Obama's tenure singing ‘Barack the Magic Negro,” Behar added. “He’s been so racist and misogynistic over the years—who’s next? Roger Stone? How about giving it to him or Steve Bannon.”

“I don’t think it was lost on the black community that he gave that honor to Rush Limbaugh during Black History Month, sitting next to a Tuskegee airman on Rosa Parks Day,” Sunny Hostin said. “So don’t talk to me about what you did for the black community!”