Sunny Hostin warned her cohosts on The View that the first batch of Donald Trump‘s cabinet appointments should not give them hope about the incoming administration, and on Wednesday’s (November 13) live episode, she got to play a sly game of “I told you so” over the latest controversial hire.
After the previous episode aired, Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth was announced as the next Secretary of Defense, earning immediate criticism from across the political spectrum due to his inexperience for such a vital role in national security. The panelists reviewed footage of him saying, among other things, that women soldiers do not belong in combat, along with media pundits’ mixed reactions to the news.
Whoopi Goldberg took the first dig by noting that Hegseth is the host of Fox & Friends Weekend and not the daily show and asked, “Is this the guy who’s qualified to make decisions about the most powerful military in the world who clearly does not know anything about the military?”
Joy Behar answered by joking that she was “insulted,” adding, “I’m a morning TV host and I’ve been here the longest. Where’s my ambassadorship to Italy? Was it something I said?”
RelatedSunny Hostin Warns ‘The View’ Cohosts Against Being Relieved by Trump Cabinet Picks
Sara Haines had a much more serious reaction to the news, saying, “Beyond what he’s saying about women, the scariest part is the Secretary of Defense is the highest-ranking member of the federal cabinet, and there is a budget of $841 billion. It’s the largest government agency. It operates 4,800 sites in over 160 countries… It makes me more than a little worried that you’re picking someone who — he served for five or six years, mid-ranking, never has worked in the government.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin, who was previously impressed by the prior cabinet announcements, said she was hoping Trump would choose Senator Joni Ernst, herself a combat veteran, and added, “He has no policy-making experience and no Pentagon experience. By all accounts, the reason Donald Trump chose him is because he wants a disruptor who is going to help implement his agenda.” Griffin, who worked in the Pentagon as a spokesperson in the past, added, “I don’t see any evidence that he understands the role of Secretary of Defense.”
Hostin waited patiently as her fellow panelists weighed in with their dismay before expressing her total lack of surprise over the choice and citing another alleged quote by Hegseth stating that claims that “diversity is our strength” militarily are “garbage.” “I think we’re seeing misogyny play out. I think we’re seeing racism play out. And we should be disgusted. We should be very, very concerned… But again, I’m not surprised.”
Indeed, given her expressed cynicism about the incoming cabinet on Tuesday’s show, she probably was not. Watch the full exchange below.
TRUMP PICKS FOX NEWS HOST AS DEFENSE SECRETARY: #TheView co-hosts react to President-elect Trump nominating ‘Fox & Friends Weekends’ co-host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. pic.twitter.com/Byt84246Vp— The View (@TheView) November 13, 2024
The View, weekdays, 11 a.m. ET, ABC
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