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Meghan McCain wasted no time separating herself from her co-hosts on "The View" during her first day, saying she would have walked out of the Colts game too had she witnessed players kneeling during the National Anthem.
The first subject on Monday's Hot Topics was Vice President Mike Pence leaving the Indianapolis Colts game on Sunday, after several players didn't stand.
"Pence is kind of like a prop. Trump says do this, he does it. He's like a little prop," said Joy Behar.
"I don't know why you have to leave the game," added Sara Haines. "Even if you are someone who stands and puts your hand on your heart, you can do that next to someone kneeling. You don't have to leave. It was a little bit of a pissing match."
"For the government through Pence and the president to tell people and almost demand people not to exercise their constitutional rights, that's very un-American," Sunny Hostin then said.
McCain, however, supported Pence's stance.
"I am a total red state girl, I come from Phoenix, Arizona and this has turned into a culture war. For me, when I was 19 years old and my brother was 17, he deployed to Iraq the first time and it was the first time I ever framed an American flag," she said. "The American flag and the national anthem mean more to me than just symbolism. I'm deeply patriotic. It gave me solace. I think there's a misunderstanding that I think we can have a conversation about both things while still respecting what the American flag and the national anthem mean to people like me."
"There's another point of view on that though," Behar interjected. "People who die for the flag in these wars are also dying and defending the flag so people like Kaepernick can protest."
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View StoryWhile Megan agreed that the "constitutional right to protest is the very fabric of America," she added "if I were there with Vice President Pence, I would walk out too. You have to understand how deeply tribal this is and how deeply cultural this is and to disrespect the flag in the way that they're doing, I find offensive. That being said, they have the right to do it."
Hostin disagreed, saying taking a knee isn't disrespectful, before sharing how her own son did it at a football game over the weekend. "He took a knee and I immediately was concerned for him," she explained, "I should never feel uncomfortable for my son because he is exercising his constitutional right."
"The thing that jumps out to me and the reason the walk out part is insulting to me, is there are countries where you can be killed for this, when you dissent against your government, you risk death," added Haines. "We're fighting to be different from them."
"That flag is extraordinary because she understands standing and kneeling and she accepts both," Goldberg said in closing.
