Cassidy Hutchinson appeared on ABC’s The View, and her emotions ran high as she drew connections between the tragic events of January 6 and the needless deaths resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Hutchinson, a former top aide to the Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and a key witness before the January 6 committee, is currently on a media tour to promote her upcoming book, “Enough.”
During her appearance on The View, co-host Sara Haines asked Hutchinson about her thoughts on the deaths that occurred on January 6 and why they reminded her of the late entrepreneur Herman Cain. Hutchinson’s response was emotionally charged:
Hutchinson explained that the memory of Herman Cain was difficult to discuss and be honest about. She recalled a specific moment in the summer of 2020 when she felt that the Trump administration was being irresponsible in handling COVID-19. At that time, she believed that they were essentially contributing to the loss of lives. The mention of Herman Cain was particularly significant because he had attended a rally that Hutchinson and others from the Trump campaign were present at, and he later succumbed to COVID-19. This tragedy served as a stark reminder of the consequences of their actions.
She then connected this memory to the events of January 6, attributing the Capitol insurrection to the actions of the Trump administration and, in particular, former President Donald Trump himself. In her view, Trump was directly responsible for the violence and the loss of life that occurred that day. Hutchinson firmly asserted that had Trump conceded the election, January 6 would never have transpired. She highlighted a dangerous aspect of Trump’s character, his reluctance to take responsibility for his actions and disregard for those who supported him, even when it resulted in loss of life.
Co-host Sunny Hostin chimed in, emphasizing that Ashli Babbitt, who was killed on January 6, would likely still be alive if Trump had not perpetuated the falsehood that the election had been stolen, leading her to participate in the events at the Capitol.
The discussion underscored the emotional toll and deep convictions surrounding the events of January 6 and their connection to the broader narrative of the Trump administration’s actions and decisions, as well as the human lives impacted by those actions.
SARA HAINES: You also write about getting a flashback to a grim memory with the late Herman Cain. Why did he come to mind in that moment?
CASSIDY HUTCHINSON: Oh. I think the — the Herman Cain thing is also difficult to talk about and to be honest and frank about all this. I think Mark really struggled with that in that moment as well. I remember in the Herman Cain moment specifically that summer of 2020, in my mind, at the time I was thinking like this was us, like we are killing people! We are, I knew we were being irresponsible with how we were handling Covid. But this was something that was tangible that we knew and that was at the rally that we knew was a bad idea.
So then we fast forward to January 6. January 6 happened because of the administration, because of the former president, because of Mr. Trump. He is responsible for the person that was killed that day. In my opinion. He caused that to happen. Had he conceded the election, that never would have happened. January 6 never would have happened. And that is one of the more dangerous things about Donald Trump is his inability to take accountability for his actions, and the fact that he doesn’t pay mind to the people who support him and who who are there for him. And one lost their life for him.
SARA HAINES: You said Mark Meadows said “We killed Herman Cain” in the book–
CASSIDY HUTCHINSON: Correct.
SARA HAINES: And those words are very– They’re hard to read.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Because he went to the rally?
SARA HAINES: Yes.
CASSIDY HUTCHINSON: He was at a rally that we were at in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And it was the first indoor rally that–
SARA HAINES: Frankly, Ashli Babbitt would still be alive if Donald Trump had not lied about the election being stolen and she hadn’t showed up at the Capitol that day.
CASSIDY HUTCHINSON: That Capitol Police officer would still be alive.
