Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) was jeered on "The View" Monday after saying that "the radical left" was indoctrinating kids in schools - and squared up to the ABC show's co-hosts by denying that "systemic racism" keeps black Americans from succeeding.
The Republican presidential hopeful told the all-female panel that "corporate culture" had "gone too far" pushing left-wing priorities - especially after Disney CEO Bob Iger opposed an education bill signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that banned teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
"Disney and Ron have been in a combat zone for a number of months over what I thought was the right issue as it relates to our young kids and what they're being indoctrinated with," Scott, 57, said of his fellow GOP primary candidate, before being interrupted by boos from the audience.
But host Whoopi Goldberg jumped in to chastise the spectators.
"No, no. Do not boo. This is 'The View,'" she said. "We don't have to believe everything people say, but you cannot boo people here, please. You cannot do it."
The audience then broke into applause.
Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, appealed to the same standard earlier when tangling with host Sunny Hostin over "systemic racism," appealing to his upbringing as proof that the American dream is still alive.
"I am actually happy that you're here. We have some things in common," Hostin told Scott. "You grew up in a single-family household, a single-mother household. I grew up with both of my parents, but raised in the Bron, projects amidst a lot of poverty and violence."
She went on to praise Scott as "the first black senator elected in the South since the Reconstruction" but argued his life story was "the exception" and "not the rule."
"And so when it comes to racial inequality, it persists," Hostin said. "And five core aspects of life in the US: Economics, education, health care, criminal justice and housing. At nearly every turn, these achievements were fought, threatened and erased, most often by white violence. You have indicated that you don't believe in systemic racism. What is your definition of systemic racism?"
"Let me answer the question that you've asked," he replied.
"Or does it even exist in your mind?" she added
"Let me answer the question this way," Scott went on. "One of the things I think about and one of the reasons why I'm on the show is because of the comments that were made, frankly, on this show, that the only way for a young African-American kid to be successful in this country is to be the exception and not the rule.
"That is a dangerous, offensive, disgusting message to send to our young people today, that the only way to succeed is by being the exception. I will tell you that if my life is the exception."
Hostin jumped in and said, "But it is, it's been 114 years."
"But it's not, actually," Scott responded. "So, the fact of the matter is, we've had an African-American president, African-American vice president. We've had two African-Americans be secretaries of state. In my home city, the police chief is an African-American who's now running for mayor. The head of the highway patrol for South Carolina is an African-American."
Hostin interrupted again to note those were "still exceptions."
Scott added that black unemployment rates had fallen around 10% from 1975 to the present, to which Hostin answered: "40% homelessness."
"You had the chance to ask the question," Scott replied. "And I've watched you on the show [and know] that you like people to be deferential and respectful. So I'm going to do the same thing.
"So here's what I'm going to suggest. . The fact of the matter is that progress in America is palpable. It can be measured in generations," he said.
"I look back at the fact that my grandfather, born in 1921 in Salley, South Carolina, when he was on a sidewalk [and] a white person was coming, he had to step off and not make eye contact. That man believed then what some doubt now: in the goodness of America. Because he believed that having faith in God, faith in himself and faith in what the future could hold for his kids would unleash opportunities in ways that you could not imagine.
"Every kid today can look. Just change the stations and see how much progress has been made in this country. ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN, CNN, Fox News all have African-American and Hispanic hosts. So what I'm suggesting is that yesterday's exception is today's rule."
Scott joined a crowded field of other declared and expected GOP candidates when he launched his campaign last month, including DeSantis, former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, among others.