Ana Navarro told her co-hosts Friday on ABC’s “The View” that GOP presidential hopefuls former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) are making a “strategic decision not to antagonize racists who are part of the base.”
Discussing Haley, Navarro said, “If we remember when she made that initial comment about the Civil War and not being able to say slavery, which is not a hard question, right? If you get asked, what’s the cause for the Civil War, it is not a hard question. It’s not a trick question. The answer is, slavery, slavery, slavery.”
She continued, “But Ron DeSantis came out and attacked her for that non-answer. And let’s remember that just a few months ago, he was out there trying to defend the concept that there was a positive side to slavery.”
Co-host Sara Haines said, “He didn’t denounce. He doubled down.”
Navarro continued, “I don’t think what’s happening in the Republican party with Nikki Haley, with Ron DeSantis is a gaffe, is a verbal gaffe. I think it’s a strategic decision not to antagonize racists who are part of the base.”
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said, “I think it’s a bad answer and the cleanup was worse than the original answer. I’m not going to defend Haley’s remarks there.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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