The fierce war of words between President Trump and ABC’s “The View” has long been a staple of the daytime talk show known for its spirited discussions about politics and pop culture.
But the signature “Hot Topics” segment that frequently blasts Trump has suddenly gone cold as speculation escalates that the Trump administration is considering taking action against “The View.”
Show host Whoopi Goldberg and her all-female panel has been conspicuously silent on ABC’s suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in the wake of blistering backlash over Kimmel’s comments about slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. The late-night host said during the monologue on his show Monday that the “MAGA gang” was characterizing Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused in the shooting death of Kirk, “as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has indicated that “The View” might be investigated to see whether it qualifies as “a bona fide news program,” which would exempt it from the agency’s equal time rule.
The absence of commentary since the news about Kimmel broke on Wednesday has been particularly glaring after late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Jon Stewart criticized the decision by the Walt Disney Co.-owned network on their respective programs Thursday night. The network’s action has been largely condemned in entertainment circles, sparking major protests outside Disney headquarters and Kimmel’s Hollywood Boulevard studio.
MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace on Thursday called out the silence of “The View” during her “Deadline: White House” show, noting Walt Disney Co. had previously pledged $15 million to Trump’s library to resolve a defamation lawsuit over inaccurate statements about Trump by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos.
“Those women are fearless, and the story didn’t come up,” Wallace said. “It’s obviously being felt and acted upon at ABC more broadly.”
Trump’s bitter campaign against “The View” and his desire to cancel it was highlighted last July after co-host Joy Behar declared that Trump was “so jealous” of former President Obama.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers fired back in a statement sent to entertainment venues calling Behar “an irrelevant loser suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome … She should self-reflect on her own jealousy of President Trump’s historic popularity before her show is the next to be pulled off air.”
In sharp contrast to the current hush about the president, Goldberg and her co-hosts unleashed a vicious attack on Trump after he blasted the show during a campaign rally last year.
“So I watched that stupid ‘View’ where you have these really dumb people,” Trump told the large crowd, which responded with boos.
Saying that “politics can do strange things to demented people,” he relayed how he had hired Goldberg as a comedian before his political career, “and her mouth was so foul. She was filthy dirty, disgusting … I said I would never hire her again.”
The opening segment of “The View” the following day showed the hosts entering as Christina Aguilera’s “Dirrty” played.
Addressing Trump, Goldberg said, “As a matter of fact, I was filthy, and I stand on that … How dumb are you? You hired me four times … and you didn’t know what you were getting? How dumb are you?”
Co-host and senior ABC News legal correspondent and analyst Sunny Hostin weighed in: “Donald Trump, I want to thank you for personally (sic) telling so many lies and committing so many alleged crimes and providing us with material on a daily basis. You help us do our jobs, and I am so appreciative.”
Noting that she was a former prosecutor, she added, “I admit, I may not have spent as much time in a courtroom as you have … And like Madam Vice President Kamala Harris, I’ve had a history of prosecuting sex offenders, so thank you for keeping people like us in business.”
Hostin concluded with an invitation to Trump to come on “The View: “I’ll even give you a free ‘View’ mug — not to be confused with a mug shot. Because that’s your area.”