Meghan McCain, weeks after she left "The View," says she's not ruling out running for public office because she'd rather do that than host a cable news program.
“At some point, maybe,” McCain, the 37-year-old daughter of late Sen. John McCain, told People magazine when asked if she is planning a political campaign. "My tone keeps shifting because, quite frankly, the bench in Arizona is not great, but it’s very Trump-y. The woman running for governor right now, Kari Lake, was endorsed by President Trump and is more than likely going to win."
Arizona is an "interesting state filled with really interesting people," she added. "[Sen.] Kyrsten Sinema [D-Ariz.], obviously, is a total independent in so many different ways.”
McCain made her mark on "The View" by being the show's firebrand conservative, which often led her to fierce arguments against the other hosts on the ABC daytime program.
But now, she says she feels like she's "done it all."
"What else can I do? I don’t want to be Tucker Carlson," she said about a potential run for office. "I’m not running for office ... but I’m just saying if there was a metric of placing bets: Yes. If someone has a gun to your head [and says,] ‘Pick one or the other …'"
McCain added that she knows people "hate children of politicians" so she would probably lose a political race. However, she said she misses politics, so she might be interested in a behind-the-scenes role.
"I have a friend who does political consulting for pretty high-level politicians, and I was thinking like maybe doing something like that in the future,” she said. “I feel very at home among political people. I feel very understood. We’re all interested in the same things. And I feel really respected in a way that I don’t necessarily feel in TV media, for whatever that’s worth.”
McCain added that she loved "debating politics" on "The View," which she co-hosted with Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, and moderator Whoopi Goldberg, but she didn't feel her voice was welcome there.
Further, she said that she doesn't think the other women missed her during the last season, when she took time off for maternity leave before and after the birth of her daughter, Liberty, in September 2020.
"I think they liked not having someone who would fight with them or give an unpopular opinion," McCain told People. "I was very insecure about not being missed on maternity leave. I felt it. I felt like they didn't miss me."
A spokesperson for "The View" responded that the program has been a platform on the air and off for "strong women" for 25 years.
"Live television and different perspectives can often lead to surprising moments, but the team is collaborative and supportive — focused on delivering an informative daily talk show to our loyal viewers," the spokesperson said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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