Former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro passed away on Thursday. His death was celebrated by many American Cubans, many of whom had been separated from their families and faced tragedy as a result of his rule.
The ladies of ABC’s “The View” had stronger feelings than ever about the reactions to his death, particularly on the part of President Obama. The most vocal was co-host Jedediah Bila.
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Co-host Whoopi Goldberg brought up the criticim that Obama should have been more forceful in disavowing Castro. Co-host Joy Behar asked what was wrong with his statement right as Bila spoke up.
“I’m nauseated,” she started. Bila could not believe that anyone would speak about Castro with any sort of esteem:
I’m naseauted because you’re talking about a mass murderer. You’re talking about a guy who imprisoned people, who put gay people in jail. When I see countless ways in which Fidel Castro altered the course of individual lives…by killing them, by putting them in jail-
Behar cut her off, but Bila continued to make her point:
We stand for freedom in the United States of America. We stand for freedom of the press, we stand for the freedom of people to speak out against politics they don’t like. We sit at this table every day and we’re able to speak our minds. People in Cuba don’t have that right. I want my president to speak up for those people. And this was a guy who imprisoned people who disagreed.
Bila’s statement received heavy applause from the audience.
Goldberg continued to talk about the nature of speech in America. Bila and Behar also confronted each other later on in the segment when Behar made the case for the Cuban healthcare system.
Co-host Sunny Hostin backed Bila, saying that though they rarely agreed on much, she too wanted a statement “acknowledging from our president that [Castro] was a brutal dictator, that he imprisoned people, that he murdered people.” Following her statement, Hostin agreed with a point made by Goldberg that the response should have been diplomatic.
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Bila took to Twitter for a final word on the matter:
Fidel Castro was a monster. Period. A murderer who robbed many of their freedoms, their opportunity, and their lives. The end.
— Jedediah Bila (@JedediahBila) November 28, 2016
Bila also responded to those praising the dictator:
He imprisoned gays and killed dissidents. Time for a history book. https://t.co/oP7HKArNr1
— Jedediah Bila (@JedediahBila) November 28, 2016
She received and retweeted praise from viewers:
@JedediahBila you fought a great fight today. One of the best people they have ever had on the show. @TheView
— Michael Buckley (@buckhollywood) November 28, 2016
@JedediahBila 100%with you on the Castro issue. Let's insert Hitler in there and see if it feels the same.
— Anna Felcyn (@Monkeymomma77) November 28, 2016
@JedediahBila Don't regularly agree with you, but today you were the only one clearly informed about Cuba.
— Jose Scott® (@josefelix) November 28, 2016
Thank you @JedediahBila and @sunny for acknowledging the suffering of the Cuban people that can only be spoken about freely outside of Cuba
— Laurie Gorick (@pebbles662) November 28, 2016
I'd vote for @JedediahBila if she ran for president…#TheView
— Thomas (@Source_Thomas) November 28, 2016