Tim Scott on ABC’s ‘The View’: Your Racism Messages Are ‘Dangerous, Offensive, Disgusting’

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) said Monday on ABC’s “The View” that past comments on the show about racism are dangerous, offensive and disgusting.

Co-host Sunny Hostin said, “I am actually happy that you’re here. We have some things in common. You grew up in a single-family household, a single-mother household. I grew up with both of my parents, but raised in the Bronx, projects amidst a lot of poverty and violence. And you were the first black senator elected in the South since the Reconstruction. That would be about, I think, about 114 years. Yet you say that your life just disproves left, leftist lies.”

Hostin continued, “And my question to you is, I’m the exception, right? You’re the exception. Maybe even Miss Whoopi Goldberg is an exception. But we are not the rule. And so when it comes to racial inequality, it persists. And and five core aspects of life in the U.S., economics, education, health care, criminal justice and housing. At nearly every turn, these achievements were fought, threatened and erased, most often by white violence. You have indicated that you don’t believe in systemic racism. What is your definition of systemic racism?”

Scott said, “Let me answer the question that you’ve asked.”

Hostin said, “Or does it even exist in your mind?”

Scott said, “Let me answer the question this way. One of the things I think about and one of the reasons why I’m on the show is because of the comments that were made, frankly, on this show, that the only way for a young African-American kid to be successful in this country is to be the exception and not the rule. That is a dangerous, offensive, disgusting message to send to our young people today that the only way to succeed is by being the exception. I will tell you that if my life is the exception, I can’t imagine I can’t…”

Hostin interjected, “But it is, it’s been 114 years.”

Scott replied, “But it’s not actually, so the fact of the matter is we’ve had an African-American president, African-American vice president. We’ve had two African-Americans to be secretaries of state. In my home city, The police chief is an African-American who’s now running for mayor. The head of the highway patrol for South Carolina is an African-American.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN