Whoopi Goldberg tells Democrats to stop infighting and focus on plans

Whoopi Goldberg criticized congressional Democrats on Tuesday for publicly debating their leadership structure. The View co-host told the party to stop arguing about who should lead and instead explain their legislative plans for the first 100 days in office.

Goldberg played clips of Democrats discussing their views on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. She told the members that she did not want to hear about their internal conflicts. She asked them to define their priorities for the first 100 days regardless of how long they had served.

She listed specific goals for the party. These included lowering gas and grocery prices, restoring funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and reuniting separated families. Goldberg stated that voters elected Democrats to clean up government operations. She warned that constant infighting would make the party look as bad as the Republicans.

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin predicted that Jeffries would become the next House speaker. She argued that only the far left was questioning his leadership. Griffin suggested that Schumer should step aside after helping recruit and elect several Democratic candidates. She compared his potential departure to the path taken by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Sunny Hostin offered a different view. She said Schumer should remain in leadership and become Senate Majority Leader. Hostin noted that Schumer kept the caucus together and prevented a government shutdown. She expressed concern that a new leader might not know how to deal with President Trump or build consensus.

Incoming Democratic senators are already weighing in on the leadership question. Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton and Sen.-elect Troy Jackson said they will not support Schumer for party leader. Other Democrats, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, have called for a conversation about the party's direction.

Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff responded to the public debate. He said Democrats received a mandate to improve people's lives, not to spend the first month arguing about Schumer. He added that if members believe he should step down, they should vote on it and move forward. Shroff acknowledged that Schumer and Jeffries deserve credit for the recent electoral wins. He noted that the party elected a younger coalition that expects to question the old guard.

Goldberg had issued a similar warning to Democrats last week. She told the party that they were elected to take care of business. She said voters did not want to hear about backbiting. She instructed them to handle their internal disputes after they finished serving the public. Schumer's and Jeffries' offices did not immediately return requests for comment.