Sunny Hostin didn’t hold back against Texas Governor Greg Abbott during a discussion about his press conference following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Ulvade, Texas, which left 19 students and two teachers dead. Hostin accused the governor of seeming more enraged at his challenger in the 2022 gubernatorial election Beto O’Rourke for interrupting his press conference and demanding action, during a Thursday, May 26 episode of The View. “He seemed angrier at Beto O’Rourke than they were at the massacre of 19 children and two fourth grade teachers,” she said.
BETO O’ ROURKE CONFRONTS TEXAS GOVERNOR: Gov. Greg Abbott held a press conference about the school shooting massacre, but #TheView panel questions if Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke interrupting the proceedings was an appropriate protest or political theater. pic.twitter.com/mlny3wgrn6
— The View (@TheView) May 26, 2022
Hostin also called on Abbott to redirect his rage to legislating for stricter gun safety laws, rather than having his Democratic opponent tossed out of the press conference. “They were yelling at him. I’d like to see some of that energy around gun safety. I was so shocked that they were so angry at what he was saying, and he was saying the right things,” she said.
Other than calling him out for having O’Rourke thrown out at the press conference, Hostin pointed out how Abbott has changed gun laws in the Lone Star State, showing how “predictable” the tragedy that happened in Ulvade was. “Gov. Abbott is the person that changed the age of owning a gun from 21 to 18. This was completely predictable. It’s cyclical. Our country is the only country that has this problem,” she said. “They’re trying to blame it on mental illness. Let’s remember that people who have mental illness are 10 times more likely to be the victims of crime, not the perpetrators of crime. I’m so sick of this freaking narrative about mental illness.”
Hostin also responded to one of the points that her co-host Sara Haines raised, who pointed out that some people have called O’Rourke “performative” for calling out Abbott. Hostin pointed out that the press conference was also “political theater,” and host Whoopi Goldberg pointed out that many of the politicians on-stage would likely be attending an upcoming NRA convention in Texas.
Hostin wasn’t the only View host to call out Texas politicians in wake of the mass shooting. Frequent guest co-host Ana Navarro slammed Senator Ted Cruz on Twitter shortly after he tweeted a statement saying that he and his wife were praying for the victims. “If you are one of the spineless cowards held hostage by the gun-lobby and have an obstacle to sensible gun reform, just shut the f*ck up, right now,” she wrote.