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Co-hosts of “The View” feuded on Tuesday over whether President Donald Trump’s TrumpRx plan is a boon for struggling Americans or is tainted by mere association.
Billionaire Mark Cuban, one of the president’s most outspoken critics in recent years, stood on the White House stage with Trump on Monday during the rollout of TrumpRx.gov, which is a new initiative aimed at lowering the cost of 600 generic prescription drugs.
The program partners the Trump administration with major private-sector companies, including Amazon, GoodRx and Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs — officially making Trump and Cuban business partners after a history of heated political attacks.
While Whoopi Goldberg seemed neutral on the bipartisan move, co-host Joy Behar retorted, “First of all, you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas,” and warned further, “Once Trump puts his name on prescriptions, we’re all going to die, okay? He put his name on the Trump Shuttle, the Trump Vodka, Trump University, the Trump Hotel, and my favorite, the casinos that all went bankrupt.”
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“The drugs don’t actually have his name,” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin replied, noting these are existing drugs in a marketplace and arguing that mere association with Trump does not taint the initiative.
“A medication I had to take for IVF is a tenth of the price on TrumpRx,” she said. “Whatever, it’s tacky that his name on it. Mark Cuban has dedicated his life to bringing down prescription drug costs. The average family, one third of Americans cut back on essential foods and utilities to be able to cover their prescription drug costs. You’re not going to convince me that, just because Trump is involved, we should be like, ‘Screw it, don’t bring down prescription drugs.’”
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Co-host Sunny Hostin seized on how Trump had quipped in footage of the event that he and Cuban have one thing in common, with the president saying, “We want to make people better, and keep them wealthy, right?”
“He said ‘wealthy’ which means to me that there’s something in it for him. This is not a well-intentioned person,” Hostin argued.
Co-host Sara Haines noted how many Americans struggle with medical costs, replying that if Trump actually gets results on this issue, he can call it whatever he likes.
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Behar retorted that there were countries like Scandinavia, where governments have national health insurance, to which Griffin shot back that those countries have populations equivalent to New Jersey, and that America is a whole different situation.
“The two of you are so naïve!” Hostin shouted, pointing at Griffin and Haines as the table debated and talked over each other.
Whoopi took a conciliatory tone, trying to address both sides of the debate, then addressed the audience, “We’ll see how it works and if it works for y’all, do it. If it doesn’t, keep it moving.”
When asked for comment from Fox News Digital, White House spokesman Kush Desai said, “Joy Behar is an idiot.”
Fox News’ Alejandro Avila contributed to this report.