“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin said Monday that seeing neighborhoods filled with American flags can make her feel “unsafe,” arguing that, in her view, the national flag has been appropriated by individuals she associates with white supremacy.
Hostin made the remarks during a discussion on the ABC daytime talk show that focused on a group of self-described Neo-Nazis photographed aboard a train in Washington during Fourth of July celebrations.
“There are times when I walk into a community and I see American flags all over the community and I suddenly feel unsafe, because there’s a section of this country that has co-opted the American flag and they equate being an American or an American flag with White supremacy and that should never be the symbol of White supremacy,” Hostin said. “But they have weaponized [the flag].”
Fellow co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin responded by emphasizing that the American flag represents all citizens.
“It belongs to all of us,” Griffin said.
Hostin agreed with that sentiment, replying, “It does belong to all of us.”
Hostin noted that she had previously shared similar concerns on the program several years ago and indicated that her feelings have not changed.
The discussion shifted to the nation’s recent celebration of its 250th birthday after actress and guest host Michelle Buteau questioned what, in her view, was being celebrated.
“When you say this is the best nation — the best nation for who?” Buteau asked.
Hostin echoed the question, saying, “Yeah, the best nation for who?”
Buteau continued by asking, “If we are celebrating 250 years — what are we exactly celebrating is what I want to know.”
The conversation followed reports about individuals associated with the white supremacist group Patriot Front who were photographed on a train in Washington, D.C., on Independence Day.
According to reporting cited during the segment, many of the men were wearing hats displaying the Patriot Front logo. The Texas-based organization describes its members as “American nationalists” and split from the openly Neo-Nazi group Vanguard USA in June 2017.
The Anti-Defamation League has stated that Patriot Front generally avoids overtly racially charged language while engaging in activities targeting what it considers its perceived enemies. Those activities, according to the organization, have included distributing propaganda flyers at Black churches, placing stickers at an LGBTQ+ community center, vandalizing statues and murals honoring Black Americans killed by police, and later incorporating “more explicit antisemitic phrases” into its propaganda.
Hostin also referenced a photograph taken by photographer Cheney Orr for Reuters showing a Black woman seated on a train alongside several men wearing Patriot Front symbols.
“In terms of, you know, as a Black woman, my lived experience in this country was embodied by a photograph that was taken in celebrating the 250th,” Hostin said.
The discussion centered on the symbolism of the American flag, reactions to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration, and the image of Patriot Front members aboard the Washington, D.C., train during the Independence Day holiday.
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