Michele Tafoya Returns to Cause Destruction on ‘The View’: “Let’s Just Get Into It”

Just as fans of The View expected, Michele Tafoya returned to the talk show ready to rumble. The controversial co-host, once again subbing in for Meghan McCain’s empty conservative seat, was called back to The View today to discuss hot topics like CPAC, the American education system, and more. Perhaps even more prepped for battle were the show’s permanent co-hosts, who came to the panel ready to throw down about the state of the Republican Party. Though it wasn’t as cringe-worthy as her debut on The View, fans were equally upset about her statements on the panel. And we have to do this all again tomorrow!

The panel started out by discussing the events of last weekend’s CPAC, which would surely make for a thorny topic, seeing as Tafoya was in attendance. As Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin slammed statements from folks like Donald Trump and Madison Cawthorn, in line with their statements from yesterday, Tafoya immediately had a rebuttal.

“First of all, I’m a Libertarian, I’m an Independent,” Tafoya clarified.

“Why were you at CPAC?” Hostin shot back.

“Because my message is: I’ll talk to anyone,” Tafoya responded. “And I’ll listen to anyone. I’m for more voices, not fewer voices. That’s number one. So I wanted to go say: ‘Listen, let’s take hate out of all of this right now.'”

Then, Tafoya expanded upon a statement Behar had made a few points before: “The cancel culture, true, it goes both directions. Let’s be honest about it. All the evils of politics go in both directions, come from both sides, it’s true. And I feel like there’s a huge group in the middle, of which I am part, that is being ignored. Our voices are getting drowned out by this end and this end, and the in between folks are being told to shut up and listen and pay attention, not follow our own instincts. Really, we’re focused on tangible issues.”

The guest host, who has recently announced a switch from sports broadcasting to politics, then rattled off a list of topics she’s concerned about. Namely, Tafoya argued, she wants to figure out a way for Americans to put gas in their cars, to get groceries, and kids going to school “unmasked.”

“But can I ask you something?” Behar jumped back in. “It seems to be like the extreme right is now the Republican Party. The extreme left is not the Democratic Party, it’s a little different.”

“I don’t agree,” Tafoya said. “I think you’ve got your extreme left and you’ve got your extreme right. Like I said, the largest ‘party’ in America are the Independents.”

Hostin and Behar then began talking over each other and Tafoya, trying to get into the numbers of what percent of Americans want to vote for Trump, what percent are Independents, and more — but Tafoya didn’t seem to hear any of it.

“Straw polls mean nothing, are not predictive,” Tafoya said.

After this, Hostin seemed to be tired of Tafoya’s visit already.

“Well, let’s just get into it,” she said. “My understanding is that 59 percent would vote for Trump if the 2024 Republican primary were held today. And then you’ve got 28 percent of the vote in the poll was for Governor Deathsantis.”

Sara Haines entered the conversation to give Hostin and Behar a bit of a breather, giving her opinion on the matter as another Independent voice on the panel. While Haines attempted to argue that the MAGA platform will move forward no matter who is in office, Tafoya couldn’t even agree with that.

“I don’t think that’s true,” Tafoya said. “I think there’s a spectrum. I don’t think you say ‘This side good, this side bad,’ I think there is a lot of in between. I think that’s what’s getting lost in America!”

Before Tafoya could continue, though, Haines butted in to remind her that she was an Independent and tried to clarify her argument, but it was no use. Tafoya continued to interrupt Haines, trying to shut her down with more “both sides” arguments.

Next on the docket was educators’ big push to make grading more equitable for a diverse array of students, and while she was one of the last to speak, Tafoya came in with another piping hot take. Her solve for the issue? America’s education system is perhaps getting too much money. After Haines argued the system could be solved with more money to help students in need, Tafoya shut her down.

“It’s not always money, though,” Tafoya said, “because we have thrown a lot of money at the education system.”

“Oh, not enough,” Hostin shot back.

“What is enough?” Tafoya demanded.

Then, Behar, Hostin, and Tafoya all began talking at the same time again, butting heads over the topic of the education budget. It was moderator Whoopi Goldberg who had to jut into the conversation to cool things off, “Guys, guys!” she said, then giving the go ahead to Tafoya.

“My mom was a schoolteacher,” Tafoya said. “I know what she was paid, and I also know what it was like for her being a part of the union, and how much the union bosses got paid in those contracts.”

“And I bet you she paid her own supply,” Hostin interrupted.

“Sometimes. Hang on,” Tafoya said. “Teachers were not paid commensurate with these union bosses, so that’s where I have a problem. I don’t think every kid is the same, and I don’t think there’s a one size fits all. I think schools can figure out what’s right for their classrooms. I don’t believe in this, ‘Let’s do one thing across the board.'”

Tafoya concluded: “States are laboratories. School districts are laboratories. What can work, and what can we share with one another to find out what is working?”

Behar re-entered the conversation to slam Tafoya for “putting down unions,” saying most of her family was lifted up by their union. Still, Tafoya continuously tore at the union heads. Concluding the segment, Goldberg pointed out a few flaws in Tafoya’s argument.

“Oftentimes, there doesn’t seem to be enough money to do anything for the kids,” Goldberg said. “Doesn’t seem like there’s enough money anywhere! Kids are struggling all the time. Schools are struggling. And we’re not paying the attention we should be paying for the future.”

Scroll up to watch the first segment from today’s show. The View airs weekdays on ABC at 11/10c.

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