Tuesday was episode one of Season 30 for ABC’s The View, and the purported “bona fide news program” came in scorching during their first Hot Topics segment; demanding everyone get out and vote against President Trump in the midterms “because our lives literally depend on this.” While they were claiming everyone would “literally” die without Democratic Party intervention, they also were calling for the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office.
Starting with the most incendiary comment, it was moderator Whoopi Goldberg who suggested “literally” everyone was going to die if people didn’t vote for “change” in the midterms.
“All of these things, all of these things are in our hands,” Goldberg proclaimed near the end of their first Hot Topics segment. “This is what we can tell you, if you want to see change, you got to make the change. It doesn't matter your color. It doesn't matter if your a Democrat or Republican, if you want change, you got to get out there and make it happen.”
Goldberg implored viewers “to find every way that you can to vote.” “Help everybody you can to get out this vote because our lives literally depend on this,” she proclaimed.
Episode 1 of season 30 and they already engaged in electioneering, a violation of ABC's broadcast license, by telling people how to vote to get rid of Trump:
HOSTIN: 25th Amendment.
GOLDBERG: All of these things are in our hands.
BEHAR: Vote, vote.
GOLDBERG: This is what we… pic.twitter.com/4rqFdnLNU2— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) September 8, 2026
Telling people who they should vote for or against is electioneering, which is a violation of ABC’s broadcast license. The View’s history of electioneering was a critical part of the Media Research Center’s filing to the Federal Communications Commission calling for their status as a “bona fide news program” to be revoked.
Throughout this conversation, co-host Sunny Hostin repeatedly brought up the prospect of invoking the 25th Amendment:
HOSTIN: But my question is, when do we really start, in earnest, and mean it honestly, considering the 25th Amendment.
JOY BEHAR: Exactly.
HOSTIN: When? When? I think maybe - And for those of you who don't know that means you can remove the president if you think that he is suffering some sort of mental defect.
“This cabinet ain't doing that,” warned co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin.
And they've already called for Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment. pic.twitter.com/cmHHclayU8
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) September 8, 2026
Despite reality, Hostin unspooled her red thread behind how she thought the Cabinet, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, would be motivated to act against the President:
But think about if the Republicans - I think when the Republicans lose the House and they lose the Senate, they're going to want to have some control over this person, this person that is in the office, and J.D. Vance would then be that replacement. And I wonder if the Cabinet then looks at each other and says, ‘okay, we' got to take control of this, 25th Amendment.’
“You know him best of all of us. What's wrong with him?” co-host Joy Behar pleaded with Farah Griffin to explain. “He’s too online. He's surrounded by advisers who are telling him the internet is real life, cater to your base, put out A.I. slop, and people are going to cheer for you. They're detached from the reality of the American people,” Farah Griffin replied.
Co-host Sara Haines suggested that Trump’s posting of memes proved that he was “insane,” prompting Hostin for another 25th Amendment screech:
HAINES: Whereas, people voted him in and he had opportunities, as you said, to actually answer what those voters were looking for and he has spent so much time worrying about things that are kind of insane and that kind of shows up.
HOSTIN: The 25th amendment!
"What's wrong with him?" Behar asks Farah Griffin. pic.twitter.com/O9iSL7RuVt
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) September 8, 2026
Then there was Behar discovering how the ‘emperor wears no clothes’ idiom worked; and more from Hostin:
BEHAR: Let me ask you, you say the emperor had no clothes what if he took all his clothes off?
FARAH GRIFFIN: People would tell him he looks great and he's in great shape.
BEHAR: If he took all his clothes off and started running around the pool. Would they get him out then?
HOSTIN: 25th Amendment!
Polly what a cracker?
Season 30 may have started, but The View was not so much “back” as they were just present.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
September 8, 2026
11:11:40 a.m. Eastern(…)
SUNNY HOSTIN: But my question is, when do we really start, in earnest, and mean it honestly, considering the 25th Amendment.
JOY BEHAR: Exactly.
HOSTIN: When? When? I think maybe - And for those of you who don't know that means you can remove the president if you think that he is suffering some sort of mental defect.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: But it’s the cabinet that has to do it.
HOSTIN: The cabinet has to do it.
GRIFFIN: This cabinet ain't doing that.
HOSTIN: But think about if the Republicans - I think when the Republicans lose the House and they lose the Senate, they're going to want to have some control over this person, this person that is in the office, and J.D. Vance would then be that replacement. And I wonder if the cabinet then looks at each other and says, ‘okay, we' got to take control of this, 25th Amendment.’
FARAH GRIFFIN: I think if they didn't do it after January 6 in that period before he left office it's never going to happen.
(…)
11:12:51 a.m. Eastern
BEHAR: You know him best of all of us. What's wrong with him?
FARAH GRIFFIN: He’s too online. He's surrounded by advisers who are telling him the internet is real life, cater to your base, put out A.I. slop, and people are going to cheer for you. They're detached from the reality of the American people.
HOSTIN: You don’t think he’s just doing it on his own?
SARA HAINES: No, but I think he's so concerned. He said he was coming back for a retribution tour and that's what he's done.
ANA NAVARRO: And to make himself rich!
BEHAR: That’s it.
HAINES: Whereas, people voted him in and he had opportunities, as you said, to actually answer what those voters were looking for and he has spent so much time worrying about things that are kind of insane and that kind of shows up.
HOSTIN: The 25th amendment!
HAINES: It shows up in images. One part of me thought it looked like an 80-year-old that had just discovered this tool, but when you're actually toying with the entire international community, you can't treat it like grandpa found a new app. This is a president of the United States.
FARAH GRIFFIN: It does feel like your weird uncle forwarded you a junk email with some sort of thing in it.
BEHAR: Why didn't they get rid of him when he imitated that handicapped person. That was a very, very nasty thing that he did.
FARAH GRIFFIN: The one thing that I’ll say is, I do not think he’ll be removed by the 25th Amendment.
BEHAR: Who else would have done that? Do you think Obama would have gotten away with something like that?
FARAH GRIFFIN: No, and I don't think he will be removed through impeachment if the balance of power shifts over in Congress. I think elections will be where it's decided.
(…)
11:14:35 a.m. Eastern
BEHAR: Let me ask you, you say the emperor had no clothes what if he took all his clothes off?
FARAH GRIFFIN: People would tell him he looks great and he's in great shape.
BEHAR: If he took all his clothes off and started running around the pool. Would they get him out then?
HOSTIN: 25th Amendment!
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: All of these things, all of these things are in our hands.
BEHAR: Vote, vote.
GOLDBERG: This is what we can tell you, if you want to see change, you got to make the change. It doesn't matter your color. It doesn't matter if your a Democrat or Republican, if you want change, you got to get out there and make it happen.
And you got to find every way that you can to vote. Don't cheat. I don't remember the last time we've ever had cheating in voting. We never had these conversations.
BEHAR: It's not true.
GOLDBERG: But here's the deal. This is now on all of us, every one of us, doesn't matter your color, doesn't matter your sex, you want it to change, you're the only one that can do it.
HOSTIN: How many ds do we have?
NAVARRO: 56 days.
GOLDBERG: 56 days. Find out where you can vote and help your elders get to the places to vote. Help everybody you can to get out this vote because our lives literally depend on this. We'll be right back.
