Charlamagne tha God, a prominent radio host, made headlines during his appearance on “The View” on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, when he steadfastly refused to endorse President Joe Biden for the upcoming November elections—a stark contrast to his stance in 2020.
The all-female panel of the show, known for its political discussions, pressed him for an endorsement, echoing the forceful approach they took with other guests, including rapper Killer Mike. Sunny Hostin, one of the co-hosts and a lawyer, directly challenged Charlamagne: “You endorsed Joe Biden back in 2020, but this time around you say you’re not going to endorse anybody.
Charlamagne, now is not the time, in my opinion, to sit this one out,” she demanded, as reported by Fox News. Despite her insistence, Charlemagne held his ground, explaining, “I want to focus on issues and not individuals…”
Hostin pressed further, repeating her question, “Why not endorse Biden?” Charlamagne elaborated on his reluctance, citing the current political climate and the stark choices presented: “Because if I’m sitting here telling my listeners that you have somebody out there who is a threat to democracy, somebody out there who said they want to overthrow the results of an election… There are only two candidates out there, so the choice is clear, right?”.
Charlamagne also critiqued the panel for seemingly coercing endorsements from their guests. “I’ve seen y’all do this on The View before. I saw y’all do this to Killer Mike when he was on The View, and Killer Mike literally sat here and said, ‘Hey, I supported Keisha Lance Bottoms, I supported Ralph [Raphael] Warnock, I supported Jon Ossoff … that’s your opportunity to say, ‘well clearly he’s talking about President Biden.’ Why do y’all need us to say this if we don’t feel comfortable saying it?”
Whoopi Goldberg, another panelist, noted the challenges of disseminating facts through media, yet Hostin persisted in urging Charlamagne to support Biden over Donald Trump, emphasizing the significant influence of his endorsement. However, Charlamagne resisted, candidly expressing his view of the political landscape:
“The reality is I think both candidates are trash, but I am going to vote in November, and I’m going to vote in my best interest, and I’m going to vote for who I think can preserve democracy,” he declared. “So if I think both candidates are trash and I don’t feel like endorsing one, would you rather me endorse an individual or endorse the fact that, hey, we need to go out and protect democracy.”
He continued to criticize the Democrats for their portrayal of Trump and the prevailing insistence on political purity, arguing for a more pragmatic approach to politics as reported by Politico: “It’s almost like Democrats are doing this purity test. America is not pure. The people of America are not pure. We’re flawed. I’m not looking for my politicians to be pure, … I’m looking for my politicians to be effective.” This strong stance marks a significant moment of dissent in a highly charged election cycle, underscoring Charlamagne’s commitment to his principles over party lines.