'Too much is at stake,' 'The View' co-host warned Charlamagne over a failure to endorse
"The View" co-host Sunny Hostin lashed out at a popular Black radio host on Thursday after he refused to endorse President Biden in the upcoming election.
"I thought it was irresponsible to say that both candidates are trash, when you're comparing President Biden, someone who's done incredible things for this country and someone who is facing 88 charges, and four indictments and is clearly criminal, in my view," Hostin reacted afterward on "The View: Behind the Table" podcast.
Hostin was referring to her interview the day before with Charlamagne tha God on "The View." There, Hostin and her co-hosts badgered "The Breakfast Club" host to endorse the president.
Charlamagne, who has been an outspoken critic of Biden, said that he would be voting in November but called both candidates "trash."
Radio host Charlamagne tha God argued with Sunny Hostin over not endorsing Biden on "The View."
On the behind-the-scenes podcast afterward, Hostin said she was "disappointed" by their guest's take, believing it was crucial for someone like him to take a public stand backing Biden.
"Charlamagne has a huge following. You have politicians who go on his show. ‘The Breakfast Club’ is always trending. What we don't need now is voter apathy. We don't need the couch. And if someone like Charlamagne can get up there and say, 'This guy is a threat to democracy and Joe Biden isn't. He has done A, B, and C. I'm going to vote for him, I'm going to endorse him,'" she continued.
Hostin conceded that many endorsements don't sway elections, but argued it was more a matter of standing on principle when democracy was "at stake" if Donald Trump wins.
"[When you're talking about] our democracy being on the very precipice of becoming a theocracy or perhaps a dictatorship, it's not the time to step back, Charlamagne. It's not the time to sit this one out. It's not the time to take your ball and go home. So I'm disappointed," she confessed.
She went on to praise Charlamagne as "smart" and "thoughtful;" but said she didn't appreciate his reluctance to endorse Biden, particularly when he was likely to vote for him.
"He is going to vote for Joe Biden. Then say it, don't dance around it," she scolded. "This is not the time to sit it out. Too much is at stake."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
Charlamagne tha God, the host of "The Breakfast Club" radio show, said he wouldn't endorse Biden while on "The View" this week. (Getty Images)
While on "The View" this week, the hosts repeatedly asked Charlamagne to endorse Biden.
Hostin told Charlamagne an endorsement would carry significant weight. Whoopi Goldberg said his viewers needed him to help break through the difficulty with the media and suggested a Biden endorsement might help.
"The reality is I think both candidates are trash, but I am going to vote in November, and I'm going to vote my best interest, and I’m going to vote for who I think can preserve democracy," Charlamagne said. "So if I think both candidates are trash and I don’t feel like endorsing one, would you rather me endorse an individual or endorse the fact that, hey, we need to go out and protect democracy."
The radio host predicted that the candidate who energized his base more effectively would win the November election.
"It feels like his base is pretty pissed off at him," he said of Biden.
Hostin jumped in and said, "Help him out, help him out!"
Charlamagne laughed and said, "Help him out by doing what?"
President Joe Biden has been bleeding support from Black voters, recent polls show. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
He also warned that Trump was a threat to democracy several times during the appearance.
"I’m sitting here telling my listeners that you have somebody out there who is a threat to democracy, you have somebody who said they want to suspend the Constitution to overthrow the results of an election," he said. "You saw this person try to lead an attempted coup of this country, and I’m telling people that this guy’s a threat to democracy."
"There’s only two candidates out there, so if I’m saying that about this individual, the choice is clear, right?" Charlamagne added.
Fox News' Hanna Panreck contributed to this article.
Kristine Parks is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Read more.