Meghan McCain dismisses Tom Steyer: 'You have not proven that you can inspire people' to elect you

close

Video

Who is 2020 hopeful Tom Steyer and how did he become a billionaire?

Billionaire progressive activist Tom Steyer is planning to pour millions of his own money into his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Billionaire and 2020 contender Tom Steyer got some blunt criticism from host Meghan McCain when he appeared on "The View" on Thursday.

McCain started by knocking Steyer's lack of government experience and by comparing him to President Trump.

“Mr. Steyer, with all due respect, we had the Starbucks guy on too," McCain said, referring to former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. "You are, much like him, a billionaire who has never held elected office never worked in government, never served our country in the military. We already have ... a billionaire businessman in the White House and it's not going so great."

She went on to note how her fellow "View" hosts valued previous government and military experience. "So, no disrespect," she added, "nothing you're saying is resonating with me at all."

MEGHAN MCCAIN BLASTS DE BLASIO DURING DEBATE: 'EVERYONE HATES YOU'

Steyer, who leads the grassroots organization NextGen America, responded by touting his work in building coalitions to "take on corporate power." But McCain seemed unimpressed. "You have not proven that you can inspire people to elect you to any office," McCain said.

After Steyer pointed to his experience galvanizing young people during the 2018 midterms, McCain downplayed that accomplishment as the result of spending "money."

She also asked why Steyer wouldn't just fund candidates instead of running as one. "For the last seven years, I've done this from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every single day. As part of our organizations, I go on campus and register kids -- I go and talk to them, I knock on doors. I've done roundtables all over this country," he said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

An outspoken proponent of former Vice President Joe Biden's candidacy, McCain has been fairly harsh in criticizing other Democratic candidates -- apparently out of a desire to narrow down the Democratic field, which she has referred to as a "clown car."

She and the other co-hosts were especially tough on 2020 longshot Marianne Williamson. "You sound a lot like Trump, just so we're clear," McCain told Williamson when she appeared on the show in June.