The View: SOTU Had 'Unfair Dynamic,’ Trump Was Heard and Had Guests

Nicholas Fondacaro
February 25th, 2026 4:06 PM

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The Cackling Coven of ABC’s The View spent the opening segment of Wednesday’s episode raging at President Trump’s State of the Union address the previous night. They decried how the prominent speaking position allowed for an “unfair dynamic” where Trump could be heard clearly, while Democrats only sounded… well, “crazy.” They also denounced the presence of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team and had a problem with all the clapping, and not just for Trump.

Filling in as the fake conservative for co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, guest co-host Amanda Carpenter really hated that Congressional Republicans clapped for Trump:

I watched the whole thing. I watched every minute of it, and I've got to say; a lot of people get confused when I explain that I'm a conservative and not MAGA. And here's the difference. What you saw on that screen from Republicans, that partisan tribalism that you saw on display there, that is different than being conservative. So, that's what we lost there.

Carpenter’s voice got incredibly squeaky as she whined about “how expertly [Trump] continues to create villains on stage.” She didn’t like how far-left Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN) wasn’t able to be clearly heard during her wild outbursts against Trump, calling it an “unfair dynamic” (Click “expand”):

CARPENTER: He got that split screen. And when he was talking about Minnesota and saying we're not going to go easy on them. Who thinks he's been easy on them? And so, she was shouting back, ‘you've killed Americans’ but you couldn't see what she said!

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: No.

CARPENTER: And so, it's such an unfair dynamic that I just - We got to find ways not to participate in that and give him that kind of advantage. I just can't believe we haven't learned this lesson after ten-plus years.

 

 

Despite the fact that Trump had touted legal immigration in his speech, co-host Joy Behar intentionally conflated it with Trump’s staunch opposition to illegal immigration. She even claimed to have a visceral reaction to it.

“Well, I watched the whole thing and I was physically ill from it and more nauseous than usual watching him,” she said. “The way he was demonizing immigrants made me sick. It made me sick.”

 

 

Chronically aggrieved co-host Sunny Hostin took great offence to Trump referring to illegal immigrants as “illegals,” and even pretended that the term had completely fallen out of use before Trump came along.

“The saying that people are illegal, illegal aliens. That really matters. We haven't used that term for so long. Now it's back in vogue. You are not illegal as a human being just because you're undocumented. And so, that for me felt dehumanizing to our immigrant population,” she griped.

Hostin also took issue with Omar’s out bursts. “[S]he gave him that moment he wanted when the Democrats wouldn't stand because he was calling people illegal aliens, they didn't stand and he called them crazy. They gave him all these moments,” she bellyached. “I think they were used as props.”

 

 

“What's worse than him are the sycophants and the acolytes who are praising him and going along with him!” Behar shouted at one point. “I mean, I'm dismissing him because he's not will. The man is not well. His narcissistic disorder is off the charts.”

Toward the end of the segment, moderator Whoopi Goldberg vented about the U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team attending the address. According to her, it was “insanely rude” for them to be there “because a lot of people won gold for the U.S., a lot of people won gold.”

 

 

One of the through lines for their complaints about the night was their opposition to people clapping. Not only did they not like clapping for Trump, the clapping during the Democratic Party’s rebuttal delivered by Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger drove them up the wall (Click "expand"):

BEHAR: Also the clapping was annoying. Go ahead.

HOSTIN: Yeah, I mean, that amount of bootlicking, how exhausting was that? They kept on standing up and clapping, and standing up and clapping, and standing up and clapping! But anyway.

SARA HAINES: I wish you could listen to it like a podcast in  1.5 [speed].

HOSTIN: It was crazy.

 

 

Finally, while she previously boasted that she was not going to watch Trump’s address, Goldberg admitted that she did.

 

 

The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:

ABC’s The View
February 25, 2026
11:05:03 a.m. Eastern

(…)

AMANDA CARPENTER: I watched the whole thing. I watched every minute of it, and I've got to say; a lot of people get confused when I explain that I'm a conservative and not MAGA. And here's the difference. What you saw on that screen from Republicans, that partisan tribalism that you saw on display there, that is different than being conservative. So, that's what we lost there.

But on the reality TV aspect, it is so uncomfortable to see how expertly he continues to create villains on stage. You know, we talked yesterday about whether the Democrats should go to the State of the Union. I was kind of iffy but then when I saw Ilhan Omar gets singled out like that, I know what's going to happen. He got that split screen. And when he was talking about Minnesota and saying we're not going to go easy on them. Who thinks he's been easy on them? And so, she was shouting back, ‘you've killed Americans’ but you couldn't see what she said!

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: No.

CARPENTER: And so, it's such an unfair dynamic that I just - We got to find ways not to participate in that and give him that kind of advantage. I just can't believe we haven't learned this lesson after ten-plus years.

JOY BEHAR: Well, I watched the whole thing and I was physically ill from it and more nauseous than usual watching him.

SUNNY HOSTIN: Yeah.

BEHAR: The way he was demonizing immigrants made me sick. It made me sick.

This country -- I was saying to my husband, what makes this country great? What made it great and different from other countries, let's say, in Europe and other places; is that we welcomed immigrants in this country. My family –

[Applause]

My family left Italy because there was no work in Italy when they were in southern Italy and they came here and that's why I'm sitting here today. And it just -- it just made me so -- it made me feel really sad that of that -- that's the reason America has been what it is. I don't want to make a speech but I was furious and scared as the Bert and Ernie kept jumping up behind him also.

[Applause]

And every time he lied, every time he lied, the economy is great, these idiots would be, ‘yay!’ Or the economy -- everything is great. Immigrants are the problem.’ Yay.’ It was sickening to watch.

HOSTIN: Joy and I were texting each other. And I watched the whole thing too. I almost fell asleep because it was so boring actually, parts of it. But I think that's what got to me as well, that demonization of the entire Somali population.

BEHAR: Disgraceful.

HOSTIN: That was disgraceful. Language matters. Keep – The saying that people are illegal, illegal aliens. That really matters. We haven't used that term for so long. Now it's back in vogue. You are not illegal as a human being just because you're undocumented. And so, that for me felt dehumanizing to our immigrant population.

And I disagreed with you, yesterday, Joy, when you said, you know, the Democrats shouldn't go. They shouldn't dignify this type of performance. And I disagreed with you and now I agree with you because like you said, someone like Ilhan Omar, who fiercely is protective of Minnesotans and Somalians in particular, she gave him that moment he wanted when the Democrats wouldn't stand because he was calling people illegal aliens, they didn't stand and he called them crazy. They gave him all these moments.

BEHAR: They should have just walked out.

HOSTIN: I think they were used as props.

(…)

11:09:29 a.m. Eastern

BEHAR: What's worse than him are the sycophants and the acolytes who are praising him and going along with him!

HOSTIN: Yeah.

BEHAR: I mean, I'm dismissing him because he's not will. The man is not well. His narcissistic disorder is off the charts.

GOLDBERG: Well, you know what, he's also insanely rude because a lot of people won gold for the U.S., a lot of people won gold. I'm sorry. You know. The women's hockey team and the women -- and the young skater who comes from immigrant family -- I mean there are a lot.

HAINES: He's clearly a fan of Heated Rivalry, Whoopi, that's why he loves the hockey players. I can agree with Donald Trump on this.

[Laughter]

GOLDBERG: I'll leave that right there. We'll talk more about this when we come back.

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