ABC News has denied claims that The View is scrambling "to bring in pro-Donald Trump voices" to balance comments being made against the president-elect on the network's hit show.
The program's hosts, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ava Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin, regularly discuss the latest issues affecting people's everyday lives, which often means sharing their thoughts on politics. Recently, they discussed Trump's cabinet picks and argued about Kamala Harris' election loss.
On Wednesday, New York Post published an article that alleged ABC News Group President Debra OConnell and Almin Karamehmedovic, the head of ABC News, have been "holding high-level meetings" since the Republican's election win in an attempt to find "a pro-Trump panelist for its top-ranked daytime talk show." However, a spokesperson for the network has denied this in a statement shared with Newsweek.
"This report is not true. The View is an opinion-based show featuring a diverse panel of women with different points of view—the current panel is clearly resonating with audiences given that the series just had its highest-rated episode in more than a decade and hit a 4-year high in total viewers," an ABC News spokesperson said via email.
According to an unnamed source cited by Post, The View has been facing "pressure from higher-ups" to shake things up.
"Viewers can expect some major changes including bringing in new panelists that can bring in a pro-Trump perspective," the source told the publication.
"Everyone on The View endorsed [Vice President] Kamala Harris. They lost. They are out of touch with America. For a show about different perspectives, The View doesn't seem to have any when it comes to Trump. ABC bosses don't want to alienate the pro-Trump demographic."
However, according to the statement from the ABC News spokesperson, this information is incorrect. The network currently has no plans to change the hosts and the format of the program.
This week, The View hosts have been busy discussing Trump's various administration picks, sharing their approval of some and their concern over others. They mocked Trump for picking Florida Republican Matt Gaetz for attorney general and former Representative Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, likening it to an episode of the reality show that helped his star to rise.
"It just seems to me like he's picking people, like he's on The Apprentice," co-host Hostin said. "He's just picking people willy-nilly."
The hosts expressed concerns about Gaetz, as the House Ethics Committee had been investigating allegations he was part of a scheme leading to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl. In June, the committee said it was investigating whether Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct. Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing.
Navarro and Griffin expressed surprise at Trump's choice of Marco Rubio for secretary of state, Thomas Homan as border czar, and Michael Waltz as national security adviser. Rubio is a U.S. Senator from Florida, serving since 2011. Rubio has focused on issues such as foreign policy, immigration reform, and economic growth.
"Marco is qualified. He's been on Foreign Relations in the Senate for many years. I'm happy because he knows Latin America which is a region that's often forgotten," Navarro said. "I'm surprised by the appointment because he and I agree on foreign policy, and I think he's considered a foreign policy hawk and kind of like a neocon."
A neocon, short for neoconservative, is a political term used to describe individuals who advocate for military interventionism.
"You are hearing a sigh of relief from America's allies abroad. These are people who are qualified. Mike Waltz is a Green Beret. He served in combat. He served our nation, so he's also not just opining as somebody who was in academia," Griffin said.
"These are people who know who America's enemies are: Russia, China and Iran, and they know who our allies are, and I think they are good choices."
Griffin criticized Trump's selection of Fox News commentator Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense after his comments about women in combat and lack of government experience.
"I'm grateful to Pete Hegseth for his service, but he has no policy-making experience and no Pentagon experience, and by all accounts, the reason that Donald Trump chose him is because he wants a disruptor who's going to help implement his agenda," she said.
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