The South Bend, Indiana, mayor took part Sunday evening in a town hall on Fox News, and McCain said she appreciated that Buttigieg said some viewers tune in to the conservative network in good faith, and not just because they like hearing racist statements in prime time.
"I'm probably that good faith Fox viewer there, some policies put into place there are too left for me," McCain said. "But he came off very comfortable in a town hall setting, I guess that's the mayoral side of him. He was very open to conservatives and Republicans in the country, and independent voters. He did get a standing ovation."
She agreed with co-host Joy Behar that his appearance made Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris "look ridiculous," but she said the town hall audience highlighted a major problem for Buttigieg's campaign so far.
"It was a very old, very white audience," she said. "He's poling 1 percent and 0 percent among South Carolina black voters. He has a serious problem with minority voters. If I were him, your next stop should be South Carolina, someplace you're talking to voters -- 0 percent is staggering for him. It will ultimately become a problem for him. Now that he has this defeated he needs to start focusing that."
Co-host Sunny Hostin pointed out that Buttigieg has campaigned in South Carolina, and he has met with the Rev. Al Sharpton.
"This is something he's already done," Hostin said. "There aren't a whole bunch of, as far as I know, black folks watching Fox News on the regular."
Host Whoopi Goldberg stopped her right there, as McCain scowled.
"It would not your lips off if you knew how many," Goldberg said.
Goldberg pointed out that black voters are more diverse than they're generally given credit, and McCain responded with some poll numbers.
"For what it's worth, 47 percent of black women have (Joe) Biden of their top choice, 47 percent of black men support Biden," McCain said.
Goldberg agreed those numbers were accurate, but she said Biden is thought of as someone who could clean up the mess left by "the guy in the White House."
"You have never said his name," Behar pointed out.
Goldberg said she had said the president's name once on the air, but wouldn't again.
"I said it once, and I was sick as a dog after," she said. "I had to take pills."
