Whoopi Goldberg slams Debra Messing over Trump donor list: 'We don't go after people because we don't like who they voted for'
Whoopi Goldberg passionately defended Trump donors on Tuesday's episode of The View after Debra Messing and Eric McCormack called for them to be outed on social media. Last week, the Will & Grace stars asked The Hollywood Reporter to print a list of people attending Trump's Beverly Hills fundraiser on Sept. 17, which requires a minimum $1,000 donation required to attend. It’s a request Goldberg said is extremely dangerous.
Please print a list of all attendees please. The public has a right to know. https://t.co/YV4UoxrPHI
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) August 31, 2019
Co-signed https://t.co/rbiHCG8xGy
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) August 31, 2019
"They say the public has a right to know — is that true?" Goldberg asked her View co-hosts.
"It's a list of Trump supporters giving money, they're calling it a blacklist, but they should just call it a whitelist first of all," Joy Behar quipped. "But, I happen to be against that kind of thing. I do believe that you should know if a company gave a lot of money to Trump... but when it's individuals, I think then you're stalking and you're starting to endanger that person's life so I don't approve of that."
Goldberg agreed.
"Last time people did this, people ended up killing themselves. This is not a good idea, OK?" she said, striking a serious tone. "Your idea of who you don’t want to work with is your personal business. Do not encourage people to print out lists because the next list that comes out, your name will be on, and then people will be coming after you!"
"We had something called a blacklist, and a lot of really good people were accused of stuff," Goldberg continued, referencing the Hollywood blacklists from the McCarthyism era. "Nobody cared whether it was true or not. They all were accused and they lost their right to work."
"You don't have the right, in this country — people can vote for who they want to," she stated. "That is one of the great rights of this country. You don’t have to like it, but we don’t go after people because we don’t like who they voted for. We don’t go after them that way. We can talk about issues and stuff, but we don’t print out lists. And I’m sure you guys misspoke when you said that because it sounded like a good idea. Think about it. Read about it. Remember what the blacklist actually meant to people and don’t encourage anyone, anyone, to do it."
Messing has yet to respond to Goldberg, but she defended her tweet — that even caught the attention of President Trump — over the weekend after receiving backlash. "I am happy to be listed when I attend a fundraiser," she wrote. "I am assuming anyone who donates to Trump’s fundraiser would feel the same."
I am proud to be a donor when I contribute to a campaign. I am happy to be listed when I attend a fundraiser. I am assuming anyone who donates to Trump’s fundraiser would feel the same. Why wouldn’t they?
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) September 1, 2019
Messing then shared a list of where she has recently donated.
I proudly donated to @AmyMcGrathKY @candacefor24 @DSCC@WisDems @DCCC@IndivisibleTeam
Join me and list who you have donated to recently. #DonorList #IDonatedTo— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) September 1, 2019
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