Whoopi: Knicks Should Force Trump to Be Around ‘All Those Black Men’

Nicholas Fondacaro
June 18th, 2026 2:22 PM

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ABC’s “bona fide news” moderator Whoopi Goldberg’s mind must have slipped again, since she seemingly forgot that last week she defended President Trump’s attendance at game three of the NBA finals by citing his Knicks fandom. Yet, on Thursday’s episode of The View, despite the fact Trump invited the team to the White House, Goldberg wanted the players to go and force Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance to be around “all those black men,” as if they’d be uncomfortable. She also couldn’t stop bringing up race.

Amid a longer conversation where they debated whether the players should attend the meeting owner James Dolan accepted, Goldberg proclaimed: “I want them to go. I want them to go.”

“I want all those black men to stand in OUR house and remind all of those people as we try to remind the Vice President that when you try to destroy one part of history, you are destroying all of our histories,” she declared, hinting at Vance’s appearance on the show earlier in the week.

 

 

Goldberg continued to prove just how obsessed with race she was when she brought the conversation back around to the fact that the Knicks had black players (Tyler Kolek was the team’s only white player):

GOLDBERG: The team doesn't have to accept this President. They are showing the world as a winning team filled with black men -- I can't stop saying it! I can't stop saying it!

HOSTIN: And Latino men!

GOLDBERG: And Latino men. Because it's important because of the way our history -- and frankly not just our history, but women's history, and white man's history.  I know, it sounds crazy, but all of our history is getting tattered and torn to shreds.

 

 

A common refrain from most of the cast was that Dolan put his players in a really bad position by accepting the invitation and just generally being friends with Trump. According to pretend independent Sara Haines, it was horrible:

I think this puts the players in a really precarious position. Merely because Jim Dolan is admittedly a good friend of Donald Trump's. And to now put that on the players, your boss, the owner of the team you play for is extending this offer, accepting this offer.

“I just think it's not fair to take any of the flowers and beauty of this moment and its unity and try to then place it on the players' back,” she added.

 

 

That sentiment was echoed by co-host Sunny Hostin (Click “expand”):

HOSTIN: I do think it puts a lot of pressure on these players and a lot of pressure on the captain of the team Jalen Brunson. I think it puts a lot of pressure - because Jose Alvarado, the Puerto Rican player was already approached and asked, 'will you go to the White House?' And he said -

[Crosstalk]

HOSTIN: I will do what my team decides to do. So, it's probably going to be a decision that's made between the coach as well as the captain and all players.

 

 

Faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin also bellyached about how Dolan did his players a disservice, but felt they should go:

I totally agree. I think it puts the players in such an uncomfortable position, cause it was honestly the first thing I thought of once they won the championship, as a new Knicks fan, is like, "Oh no, they're going to get invited to the White House and there's this political discourse. Should they go, shout they not?"

I think they should go if they want to. If they're comfortable going, because the White House is bigger than any one president and precedency.

 

 

Finally, co-host Joy Behar thought they should go but mourned for “the indignity of these poor guys having to go down there.”

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

ABC’s The View
June 18, 2026
11:04:12 a.m. Eastern

(…)

SARA HAINES: I think this puts the players in a really precarious position. Merely because Jim Dolan is admittedly a good friend of Donald Trump's. And to now put that on the players, your boss, the owner of the team you play for is extending this offer, accepting this offer.

I don't - I know you might get people that refuse to go. I just think it's not fair to take any of the flowers and beauty of this moment and its unity and try to then place it on the players' back.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I totally agree. I think it puts the players in such an uncomfortable position, cause it was honestly the first thing I thought of once they won the championship, as a new Knicks fan, is like, "Oh no, they're going to get invited to the White House and there's this political discourse. Should they go, shout they not?"

I think they should go if they want to. If they're comfortable going, because the White House is bigger than any one president and precedency.

HAINES: It's our house.

FARAH GRIFFIN: They earned the right to go as champions, but I also think they have the right to refuse too. If any individual players don't want to, that's their decision. And I also they can use the big platforms they have.

I mean, these guys all have millions of followers on social media. If they want to stand up for causes or if they want to potentially critique this administration, there's a way that everyone should win. I don't think it's fair if they do decide to go, I don't think they should get hate it. It's there place to.

JOY BEHAR: Recently, they were trashing Michelle Obama.  I mean, you know.

HAINES: You mean the UFC.

BEHAR: Yeah.

[Crosstalk]

BEHAR: The whole - the indignity of these poor guys having to go down there.

[Crosstalk]

I have to say, I don't agree with the Republican position, I don't agree with Trump, I don’t agree with J.D. Vance. I was nice to him. I respect the position. I respect the office. And so, I'm feeling two ways about it. Like yes, maybe you have to respect the White House. You don't have to respect who’s in the White House though.

SUNNY HOSTIN: But I think there's a reason why every single - the previous five NBA champions crowned during the Trump administration refused to go. I think there's a reason for it, that's because he politicizes the events that come before him. That's one of the problems. I don't think you can separate Trump from the White House, even though we would like to because it's the people's house.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: I want them to go.

BEHAR: You want them to?

GOLDBERG: I want them to go.

HOSTIN: Do you?

GOLDBERG: I want all those black men --

[Cheers and applause]

BEHAR: Tell it! Tell it!

GOLDBERG: - to stand in OUR house and remind all of those people as we try to remind -

HOSTIN: The Vice President.

GOLDBERG: - the Vice President that when you try to destroy one part of history, you are destroying all of our histories. And they, as champions -- not only as amazing basketball players, but as people who were down and came back up, this is what this looks like.

HAINES: Yes!

GOLDBERG: This what this looks like. So, I want them to go. I want them to go. If only so the kids know that nobody, nobody can keep you down if you are rising up.

[Cheers and applause]

HOSTIN: Yeah.

GOLDBERG: That's what I want. That's what I want.

HOSTIN: I remain very conflicted over it. I do think it puts a lot of pressure on these players and a lot of pressure on the captain of the team Jalen Brunson. I think it puts a lot of pressure - because Jose Alvarado, the Puerto Rican player was already approached and asked, 'will you go to the White House?' And he said -

[Crosstalk]

HOSTIN: I will do what my team decides to do. So, it's probably going to be a decision that's made between the coach as well as the captain and all players.

(…)

11:08:18 a.m. Eastern

GOLDBERG: The team doesn't have to accept this President. They are showing the world as a winning team filled with black men -- I can't stop saying it! I can't stop saying it!

HOSTIN: And Latino men!

GOLDBERG: And Latino men. Because it's important because of the way our history -- and frankly not just our history, but women's history, and white man's history.  I know, it sounds crazy, but all of our history is getting tattered and torn to shreds.

(…)

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