Following liberal outrage, Miss USA flip flops over whether health care is a 'right' or a 'privilege

It appears Kára McCullough, the 25-year-old woman  named Miss USA on Sunday, needs a lesson in public relations.

McCullough, who represents the District of Columbia, ignited a firestorm Sunday night when she declared during the pageant’s question-and-answer portion that she believes health care is a “privilege” instead of a “right.” Liberals were outraged because they believe health care is a right for all people — and should be treated the way it is in many European countries.

"I’m definitely going to say it’s a privilege,” McCullough told pageant judges.

But it appeared just two days later that McCullough had changed her tune on the controversial issue.

In an interview with Michael Strahan on “Good Morning America” Tuesday, McCullough sought to “clarify” her stance on the issue. That clarification involved what appeared to be a complete retraction of her previous comments.

"I would like to just take this moment to truly just clarify because I am a woman — I'm going to own what I said. I am privileged to have health care," McCullough said, emphasizing her belief that it’s a privilege to live in America.

"And I do believe that it should be a right, and I hope and pray moving forward that health care is a right for all worldwide," she explained.

Asked by Strahan if she would change what she said during the pageant, McCullough said, "I just want people to see where I was coming from. Having a job, I have to look at health care like it is a privilege."

However, in a separate interview on Fox News' “Fox and Friends” Wednesday, McCullough again appeared to backtrack — this time on her “Good Morning America” comments.

"I stand behind what I said,” McCullough said on Fox News, referring to her pageant comments.

During the Fox interview, McCullough emphasized that she’s “extremely grateful” to be an American, yet still explained why she views health care to be a “privilege."

"It's definitely a good aspect to have affordable health care for people," McCullough said. "But I definitely am not taking my health care for granted. And that's why I said it's a privilege."