Meghan McCain, co-host of "The View" and daughter of former Republican presidential candidate John McCain, announced Sunday that she is pregnant and will work remotely as she self-isolates out of an abundance of caution.
"I consulted with my doctors and they advised me that for the safety of our baby and myself, I should be extra vigilant about limiting the amount of people with come in contact with," McCain wrote on Instagram in a post announcing her pregnancy. "Starting immediately, I'll be joining the millions of Americans who are self-isolating as a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As I result, I will be appearing on 'The View' from home via satellite. I'm fortunate, my employer, ABC, has allowed me and my co-hosts to work remotely."
McCain thanked ABC for allowing both her and her colleagues to work remotely, adding an expression of gratitude for those "on the front lines of this fight." She concluded by urging Americans to stay safe, wash their hands "and avoid public gatherings."
McCain has been open about her efforts to start a family, including a New York Times editorial last year, which described her grief after suffering a miscarriage.
"I had a miscarriage," McCain wrote. "I loved my baby, and I always will. To the end of my days I will remember this child — and whatever children come will not obscure that. I have love for my child. I have love for all the women who, like me, were briefly in the sisterhood of motherhood, hoping, praying and nursing joy within us, until the day the joy was over."
McCain has vacillated between criticizing President Donald Trump and scolding his critics from her perch on "The View."
"He's a politician that inspires anger really well," McCain said earlier this month after Trump delivered a widely-panned national address about the coronavirus. "If you want to get riled up and angry, he's a politician who does it well. The 'I feel your pain and fear' — incapable of it. He could have been reading the phonebook last night. He should have been saying, 'I understand Americans are scared.' Have a Ronald Reagan-esque moment."
Though McCain criticized Trump for his rhetorical response to the crisis, she argued last week that Democrats should not criticize his racist labeling of the disease as the "Chinese virus."
"I think if the left wants to focus on P.C. labeling this virus, it is a great way to get Trump re-elected," McCain said. "I don't have a problem with people calling it whatever they want. It's a deadly virus that did originate in Wuhan. I don't have a problem with it, and I think China, had they acted right away, and we had more access to information, maybe it wouldn't have gotten to the place that it is."
Experts agree that phrases like "Chinese virus" and "Chinese coronavirus," which was also used publicly by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., are racist.
"The comments made by President Trump intensifies the xenophobia and racism that's become rampant against Asians and Asian Americans globally," Rosalind Chou, a sociology professor at Georgia State University, told Salon last week. "He's fueling fears against Chinese, specifically. However, people of Asian ancestry across the globe may face collateral damage. These statements are dangerous and erroneously assign blame to people who are as susceptible to the disease as anyone else worldwide."
Margaret Fung, executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, expressed a similar thought earlier this month about McCarthy's remarks.
"Kevin McCarthy's comment was racist," Margaret Fung, executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, told Salon. "The term 'Chinese coronavirus' is racist, because it blames China and the Chinese people for COVID-19, a disease that can affect all people regardless of their race. With rising fears and anxiety over the COVID-19 outbreak, it's inexcusable for GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to engage in racial labeling, instead of focusing on solutions to this public health crisis."
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