Charlamagne tha God and Whoopi Goldberg engaged in a spirited exchange on "The View" on Wednesday over President Biden's decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, ahead of his departure from the White House. The debate touched on issues of political accountability, moral high ground, and public perception, as both figures passionately defended their views on the controversial move.
Charlamagne, a radio host and cultural commentator, criticized Biden's decision, calling it a stark reversal of the president's earlier promises and a blow to Democrats' claims of holding the moral high ground. "Democrats stand on this moral high ground all the time," Charlamagne said. "They act so self-righteous. But the reality is, he didn't have to say anything about whether or not his son wanted to be pardoned."
He pointed out that Biden's repeated assertions that "nobody is above the law" now seemed insincere, given the pardon. "He didn't believe that," Charlamagne argued, "but he didn't have to volunteer that lie to begin with."
The pardon of Hunter Biden has sparked criticism across the political spectrum. Biden announced the decision on Sunday, stating it was made during the Thanksgiving holiday. Goldberg, however, defended the president, challenging Charlamagne's assertions and suggesting that Americans don't truly know Biden's motives. "I'm going to stop you for a second, only because you don't know that it was a lie," Goldberg countered.
Charlamagne responded with skepticism. "You really think he just changed his mind over Thanksgiving weekend, all of a sudden?" Goldberg replied that Biden may have been influenced by frustration, saying, "I think he changed his mind because he got sick of watching everybody else get over."
The discussion became increasingly heated as Charlamagne criticized the Democratic Party for placing itself on a moral pedestal while failing to uphold the standards it sets for others. "That's their fault," he said, arguing that such behavior makes Democrats vulnerable to criticism when their actions don't align with their rhetoric.
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin joined the conversation, emphasizing that Biden's move contradicted the Democratic narrative of respecting institutions and justice. She said that Democrats "ran on" the idea of respecting institutions, adding that Biden's pardon undermines those principles.
As the conversation continued, Charlamagne pressed Goldberg and the other hosts on their willingness to critique their own party. "Why can't you say when Democrats are wrong?" he asked. Goldberg insisted she would criticize Democrats when warranted but maintained her stance that Biden's pardon was not an example of wrongdoing.
"Neither one of them has the moral high ground," Charlamagne said, referring to both Democrats and Republicans. "When you are a die-hard Democrat or a die-hard Republican, you refuse to be objective about the other party."
Goldberg and co-host Sunny Hostin stood by their defense of Biden, rejecting Charlamagne's argument that the president's decision represented a failure of Democratic principles. Goldberg said emphatically, with Hostin echoing her sentiment, they didn't think Joe Biden was in the wrong with his actions.
