'The View' host Sunny Hostin asks if Republicans 'want their voters to die' during vaccine debate

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In media news today, CNN and Chris Cuomo issue scathing statements against each other, the former anchor announces he's leaving his SiriusXM radio show, and a New York Times op-ed gets mocked for fearing free library is contributing to gentrification.

The hosts of ABC’s ‘The View’ once again debated the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccine mandates, with Sunny Hostin suggesting Republicans "want their voters to die" by opposing them. 

Co-host Whoopi Goldberg paved the way for the debate Tuesday by introducing a discussion of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s recent announcement to enforce vaccine mandates for all private sector jobs. Although several business owners opposed the sudden decision, a few of the hosts agreed with the decision, including Joy Behar.

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Sunny Hostin (REUTERS/Danny Moloshok)

"Nobody wants to shut down again because it hurts business, so get the d**m vaccine, and we don’t have to have a shutdown. I wish that the governor of New York state would say that the whole state has to be mandated, not just New York City," Behar said.

Goldberg agreed, adding "This idea that people don’t like a mandate, there are millions of mandates. We have to wear seatbelts, for example."

Guest host and former Utah Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, offered the only rebuttal, contending that while she accepted de Blasio’s actions as a city leader, she opposed mandates on the federal level.

"It’s a slippery slope to force somebody to do something on the federal side. There are a lot of people that are really concerned about the vaccine and instead of forcing people to say ‘listen we’re going to force you to do this,’ we need to find out why they’re afraid," Love said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio greets spectators during 95th Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade balloon inflation on West 81st street. (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Hostin questioned Republicans’ strategy of opposing vaccine mandates, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Although DeSantis' has promoted vaccinations, Hostin suggested that politicians like him "want their voters to die" by not getting the vaccine.

"So the Republican strategy is to tell their constituency not to get the vaccine, so do they want their voters to die? Like, those are the people that are supporting the Republicans. That part I don’t understand," Hostin said. 

Fellow host Sara Haines added, "I totally get that fundamentally conservatives and Republicans get like smaller government, and on the other side, the opposite is true. But in this instance, we know that mandates work."

People arrive at the City Hall in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandate in New York City, New York, U.S., October 25, 2021. (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)

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Hostin also defended vaccine mandates back in November claiming that remaining unvaccinated is a "selfish" decision. 

"What we’re talking about is public health. It’s not only about you. It’s about the public. So you can’t just make a decision for yourself. You have to make a decision with other people in mind. And in my view, it’s very selfish to decide only based on yourself," Hostin said at the time. 

Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.