The hosts of “The View” have been longtime critics of Donald Trump, but on Wednesday morning, they were still “optimistic” about the country even under his second term — albeit “profoundly disturbed.”
To kick off the first post-election episode, the ABC hosts came dancing onto stage, seemingly in good spirits. Moderator Whoopi Goldberg even joked with the table and audience, asking if anyone did anything interesting yesterday.
Of course, she quickly dropped the joke and went straight to her co-hosts for their reactions on a convicted felon getting re-elected. First up was Joy Behar, who was arguably the most stressed of the group before the election, yet unexpectedly hopeful.
“My takeaway is that the system worked. We live in a democracy. People spoke. This is what people wanted,” she said. “I vehemently disagree with the decision Americans made, but I feel very, very hopeful that we have a democratic system in this country. We should value it.”
Behar added that she’s been through elections that didn’t break the way she’d hoped before — namely that of Richard Nixon — and she believes people can still fight.
“It’s been very difficult, but boy oh boy do we have a country, if we can keep it,” she said.
Hosts Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin agreed, commending all those who voted at all, and pointed out that Democrats are accepting their defeat instead of calling the election rigged, as Trump still claims 2020 was, despite the opposite being proven.
“I still feel that optimistic because I feel arm-in-arm with so many people who agree with me,” Haines explained. “I’m not going to stop marching.”
For their part, hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro were “profoundly disturbed,” as Hostin put it, over the results. Hostin remains concerned at what Trump’s second term will look like now that he’s replaced any allies who tried to rein him in.
But still, Navarro reiterated the idea of accepting the results.
“Today, unlike Donald Trump and his followers, I acknowledge that he won,” she said. “I hope for the best for our country. And I make a commitment to our LGBTQ, to our immigrants, to our elderly, to our young girls, to the women, that we will not stop fighting.”
“The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.
