President Donald Trump rescinded his invitation Monday evening after many of the Super Bowl-winning players backed out of the event, and McCain insisted the professional athletes had needlessly politicized sports.
"I think when you get invited to the White House you should go, period," McCain said. "I think the White House and the presidency is bigger than one man. I don't like how political sports has gotten, we've talked about that many times on the show."
McCain argued that players should be grateful for the invitation -- even if they disagreed with Trump's personal attacks on players protesting racism.
"I know it's a different time, but I do think sports should bring us together, and I think when you're invited to the White House, I don't care who you are, it's an incredible experience, and I wish we could table it and just come together in one way or another," McCain said. "What you're talking about with the anthem, it is a total culture war, ground zero for him to be using to gin up his base."
McCain insisted she believed in the symbolic power of the presidency even as it was debased by Trump, who has personally insulted her father's military service.
"I think one of the things that I have to stay true to right now is that I do believe in America and the presidency and the White House in a much greater way than I do this president," McCain said. "When you give him this much power, that he is so horrible and horrific that you stop believing in America and the White House, I think that's where my problem comes into play."
Co-host Joy Behar argued the players would be hypocrites to attend the White House event, but McCain argued the players should relish the opportunity to bring their concerns directly to a president who calls out insults against them at rallies.
"I think you can go like Kim Kardashian did, I'll give her credit, and maybe use that moment to say, 'This is why I kneel, this is why I don't,' to start and have a conversation," McCain said. "But I think we're just going into our different tribal directions and getting absolutely nowhere."
Co-host Sunny Hostin argued that Trump hadn't earned the respect McCain said his office deserved.
"His behavior is beneath the dignity of the office of the president of the United States," Hostin said.
McCain insisted she knew better than anyone, because the president and his associates had mocked her dying father -- but she argued Trump still deserved the respect of office.
"I know, he made jokes about my father, I know, but I'm telling you that even for me at this point in time, even for me -- and I've been through a lot with this administration, when my dad has cancer -- even for me he is not bigger than the president, not bigger than America, not bigger than the White House and sometimes you just have to come to the table and have the conversation," she argued.
Behar said it wasn't worth it.
"Sometimes you just have to walk away, sometimes you just have to say no," Behar said.
McCain said she refused to let Trump destroy the patriotic symbolism of the office, but Hostin argued the players were taking away power from the president by refusing to attend.
"Perhaps these players are refusing to allow him to change the narrative, he is trying to change the narrative of the protest," Hostin said. "He's trying to co-op their narrative, and perhaps these players are saying, 'I'm not going to allow you to use me as a photo op.'"
"Sometimes protest is a louder voice than showing up," Behar added.
