“The View ”star slams 'despicable' number of gun owners who support violence against Donald Trump: 'What do we do?'
Sunny Hostin expressed disgust over a study that cited an alarming number of gun-owning Americans that support assassination attempts against Trump.
Amid a second alleged assassination attempt against Donald Trump, The View cohosts have once again condemned political violence across the board.
Monday's live show began with each of the cohosts taking a firm stance against a reported shooter who allegedly targeted Trump on Sunday at his West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course, after a Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of an AK-style rifle sticking through shrubbery under 500 yards away from the 78-year-old, according to the Associated Press.
"Thank God he's okay, and it's wild that we're here again just weeks after the former assassination attempt," said 35-year-old Alyssa Farah Griffin, who previously worked for Trump's White House communications team, later adding that his team needs "to be capable of securing him better" in the future. "I'm still friends with many Secret Service agents. I applaud law enforcement for what happened once the shooter was seen, the alleged shooter. They did everything right after that. But, I have some real questions. We know there was already one attempt on his life, we know the Iranian regime has a price on his head, and someone was able to get within 500 yards of him."
Legal expert Sunny Hostin, 55, added that it was "shocking" to see someone get within 500 yards of Trump, and praised agents for doing their jobs properly, as she felt, for even seeing the barrel of the weapon peek through the bushes.
Related: Guest View cohost Chelsea Clinton says Donald Trump is 'scared' of Kamala Harris: 'And he should be'
"I am so saddened and disturbed by the fact that political violence is so normalized in this country. It's something I think we started seeing when Steve Scalise was injured, and saw more of it especially with Nancy Pelosi's husband. It's on both sides of the aisle, it's all over the country," Hostin said, before citing a University of Chicago poll's alarming findings about the number of Americans who support political violence to prevent Trump from a second term.
"[Violence] against Trump, 10 percent of American adults think it's okay [equating to] 26 million of American adults who support violence to prevent Trump from regaining the presidency," Hostin said, referencing the poll, which was published in July by the University of Chicago's Dr. Robert Pape, who did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for more information on the study and its findings.
Fellow panelist Ana Navarro, 52, reiterated that, despite staunchly standing against Trump's politics, that she and her cohosts "condemn political violence" no matter "who it's perpetrated or attempted on." Still, Navarro pointed out that political violence is common in the country — from the shooting of Gabby Giffords, the assault of Paul Pelosi, and the Jan. 6 insurrection — and that the second assassination attempt doesn’t register as a huge surprise.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
She went on to highlight two additional recent developments in the 2024 election cycle as evidence of political violence, related to pop superstar Taylor Swift's recent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as well as Trump's false claim during last week's presidential debate with Harris that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating the population's cats and dogs.
"We've had two different attempts on Donald Trump. This is the America that we live in, and political violence is very much a part of it. Let me tell you: bomb threats in Springfield, I consider that political violence. Threats against Taylor Swift, because she made an endorsement, which we all have a right to do, I consider that political violence," Navarro said.
Hostin then estimated that "maybe it's less about mental health and more about America's fascination with guns" at the root of the issue, though Griffin jumped back in to note that violent threats exist at all corners of the spectrum — including for The View cohosts, as she estimated that "every one of us has probably received death threats because of political viewpoints we've espoused on TV."
Following the second reported assassination attempt against him, Trump sent an email to his supporters.
"There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!" Trump wrote in the correspondence, per the Associated Press. “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”
The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET/PT on ABC.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.