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Meghan McCain Suggested She Agrees With Trump When It Comes To The "War On Christmas"

by Caroline Burke
Cindy Ord/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

In the wake of Donald Trump's comments at a rally claiming that he is fighting the "war on Christmas," the singular conservative voice on The View moved to defend Trump's words from the other hosts. Meghan McCain said the "war on Christmas" is a very real thing, and described it as "a real siren song to the people on the right." McCain then went on to explain that she didn't really understand why it would be offensive to say "Merry Christmas" rather than "Happy Holidays," and that it bothered her when people implied that it did.

"It is something that people in the right in certain places of the country really, really think is a big thing," McCain said. "They don't want Christmas to go away, and it's sort of ... playing to the base siren."

When host Joy Behar pointed out that conservatives didn't seem to mind the war on immigration, or the press, or "on our democracy," McCain replied, "But it's a signifier of ... it's culture wars ... If you say 'Merry Christmas', then [people believe] you're not inclusive, you're not tolerant. And again, this is already riling [us] up even here, because again, I say 'Merry Christmas,' I don't think I'm intolerant."

McCain continued, "The idea that [I'm intolerant] because I say 'Merry Christmas' is where this comes from and why he's brilliant to do it ... because even right now ... even just a mention, I don't think I'm not inclusive, I think I'm a christian and I celebrate Christmas and I'd like to wish a Merry Christmas to everyone."

In response, host Whoopi Goldberg chimed in, "And most people are not offended. But sometimes people want to be able to have a choice. I don't understand why you can't say all of it...I am not going to be told how to greet people."

Then Goldberg continued to make her point, "But you can't tell me what I should be doing. You can't tell me I'm at war with you because I'm not saying 'Merry Christmas.'"

"But to counter that," McCain replied, "You can't tell someone they can't say 'Merry Christmas' and have to say 'Happy Holidays.''

McCain then went on to call Trump "brilliant" for bringing this conversation into the forefront, to which Goldberg replied, "He's brilliant, but it's a B.S. debate."

Trump's comments at the rally a day earlier were more pointed than McCains, as he implied to the crowd that his presidency had actually ended the "war on Christmas."

Trump said, "It's awfully early to be thinking this, but I always think it: remember the attack on 'Merry Christmas?' They're not attacking it anymore. Everyone's happy to say 'Merry Christmas,' and that's only because of our campaign."

The conversation on The View ended with McCain and Goldberg disagreeing over whether a culture war even really exists. "You should be able to say whatever it is you're comfortable saying," Goldberg said. "Nobody's saying you can't say this."