Meghan McCain Rips Rachel Maddow and Her Liberal Viewers: 'Follow the Science!'

Meghan McCain has long been critical of left-leaning outlets like CNN and MSNBC, but on Monday, she kicked things up a notch when she took Rachel Maddow to task for putting "emotion" above science. After playing a clip of Maddow telling viewers that she needs to "re-wire" her attitude towards people not wearing masks, McCain tore into the MSNBC host for reacting "irrationally" to the CDC's new mask guidance. "I really implore the same people that have told me to follow science for the past year, YOU follow science, as well!" said the conservative View firebrand.

For the second day in a row, The View kicked off Hot Topics with a discussion about the CDC's decision to lift the mask mandate for vaccinated Americans. The co-hosts were particularly critical of former child star Ricky Schroder, who went viral over the weekend for accosting a Costco employee who told him to put on a mask before entering. "He's making the point that he's not that bright and not very nice," said Joy Behar. "Ricky Schroder is out of control."

"Meghan, what is it going to take for people to get comfortable following not just the the science, but their own science, what is comfortable for them?" asked Whoopi Goldberg, when it came time for her to transition over to McCain. "I don't think there's a differentiation between science," replied McCain. "I don't think there's your own science, and then someone else's science. Science is science."

"I've been lectured to for years, as a Republican, about climate change, saying, 'Follow the science. Follow the science,'" she continued. "Follow the science up until you get vaccinated and ... the risk of infection is reduced by 90%?"

CONFUSION OVER MASK MANDATES? After the CDC relaxed guidelines for fully vaccinated people, we discuss the confusion its caused for many businesses and react to actor Ricky Schroder going viral after he confronted a store employee who was wearing a mask. https://t.co/ZdC9rmA0kj pic.twitter.com/OFAcrNPVfZ

— The View (@TheView) May 17, 2021

McCain added that now that she's vaccinated, she "will not wear a mask unless [she's] required to in a business," and she insisted that she's ready to return to life pre-pandemic. "At this point, it's just irrational and emotional. Especially when the CDC director is saying we're coming up on 'impending doom,'" she said. "'Impending doom' sounds like the apocalypse. If there was 'impending doom,' then Florida and Texas would be hellscapes of death, and we would have to have the National Guard coming in and saving people, and that's not what's happening!"

"This is irrational! People are reacting emotionally and not following their own science. And I actually want to show a clip of Rachel Maddow doing this," continued McCain, as The View hit play on a clip of the MSNBC host expressing concern about the mask mandate being lifting. "The CDC guidance changed in one week, and it was political why it changed. Because we have to go back to work, and inflation numbers are bad, and unemployment numbers are still bad."

"So, I'm over the politicization, the emotional aspect of this," concluded McCain. "We have to go back to work. We have to go back to life."

Monday's show kicks off an exciting week on The View. Here's the schedule for May 17 - May 21:

Monday, May 17 – Day of Hot Topics; “View Your Deal” with hottest items at affordable prices
Tuesday, May 18 – Michael Che (“That Damn Michael Che”)
Wednesday, May 19 — John Stamos (“Big Shot”); Dorothy A. Brown (author, “The Whiteness of Wealth”)
Thursday, May 20 — Day of Hot Topics
Friday, May 21 — The Political View with Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA)

People are talking about The View in our forums. Join the conversation.

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.