Hostin called President Donald Trump a racist for telling the lawmakers -- Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib -- to go back to their home countries, and co-host Joy Behar said he was "stupid" for launching those ugly attacks.
"I don't think he's stupid," McCain countered, "but I don't think he's politically astute at all because the politics of this -- on Friday night the progressives and Nancy Pelosi was full 'Gangs of New York'-style fighting with one another on Twitter. It was fascinating to watch."
"What's interesting to me is 'The Squad,' for me right now, is the face of the Democratic Party," McCain added, "and I believe that -- again as everyone knows, their politics are far too left for me, far too radical. Ilhan Omar at a certain point, the House passed a resolution condemning hateful expressions of intolerance, which passed 47 to 123 because of her anti-Semitic comments."
Host Whoopi Goldberg cut in to remind viewers that Omar had a right to criticize American policy toward Israel, and McCain begged to finish her point in mock exasperation.
"Can I please finish?" she said. "Can I please finish?"
"You can say whatever you want in this country, thank god," McCain continued, "and we are all free speech advocates here at 'The View' -- otherwise we wouldn't have a job. But you can't say something without ramifications."
McCain said she was curious to see whether the quartet of newcomers would drag the party toward impeaching Trump, which she has argued would be politically disastrous, and Hostin said she was overestimating their power and influence.
"I don't think that the squad represents the entire Democratic Party," Hostin said. "The Democratic Party is a very broad-based party. I think it's a huge tent, I think that they have new, fresh ideas, and I think that there's room for new ideas. But I do think that the Republican Party wants the squad to be the face of the Democratic Party. If you watch Fox News, they're mentioned over and over again."
McCain then pushed back against Hostin -- and contradicted her previous comments celebrating Democratic infighting and the role of the freshman lawmakers.
"I actually don't want -- I don't like political infighting, in general, because I think the country is ripping itself apart," McCain said. "I do watch Fox News every single night, and I think the idea that the Fox News viewer somehow wants this country or the Democratic Party to be tearing itself apart, that's not who I am."
Goldberg seemed confused by the abrupt about-face.
"Did you just say that?" she said.
"No, that's what Sunny said, that's what Fox News wants," McCain said, as Hostin cocked her head in puzzlement. "I don't believe that because I watch Fox News I want the Democratic Party to be represented by four people."
