ABC The View ‘hypocrisy’ row explodes as panel defend Biden pardons while Trump’s branded ‘spineless’
The hosts of ABC’s The View have sparked outrage and claims of “hypocrisy” as they discussed the recent pardons issued by President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden.
Tuesday’s episode of the US talk show was hosted by comedian Joy Behar, 82, lawyer Sunny Hostin, 56, journalist Sara Haines, 47, political strategist Alyssa Farah Griffin, 35 and TV personality Ana Navarro, 53.
The segment was prompted by President Trump’s move to pardon some 1,500 January 6 rioters as part of a flurry of executive orders signed immediately as he retook office.
Trump gave a “full pardon” to those jailed following the violent disorder in the last days of his first presidency, who he described as “hostages” of the previous administration.
As he signed the order, the president raised a complaint about former President Biden’s choice to issue blanket pre-emptive pardons for his family and members of the January 6 committee, including Dr Anthony Fauci and General Mark Milley, who had been investigating Trump.
“I was surprised that President Biden would go and pardon his whole family because that makes him look very guilty… and how about this J6 committee, why is he pardoning them? They were guilty as hell, they rigged it. It was a rigged deal,” he said to journalists.
“So, in Trump’s world the lawmakers trying to save democracy are ‘thugs’ and the lawbreakers are ‘hostages,” Behar said incredulously as she opened the floor to debate.
Also picking up on Trump’s use of the term hostages, Haines called the move “the biggest middle finger he could give the entire country out of all of his options.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin, who had worked as a communications director in Trump’s previous administration, slammed his pardons as “dangerous and reckless.”
While she praised Biden’s pardoning of Fauci and Milley, Griffin attempted to provide balance as she criticised Biden’s decision to extend the immunity to his family, saying his choices “floored her”.
She explained it set a “dangerous precedent” for future presidents to abuse, adding: “I think it was disgraceful, and it’ll harm his legacy.”
The comment set the studio alight, with a volcanic Navarro furiously hitting back and defending the Democrat by arguing: “I think comparing Biden’s pardons to Trump’s is like comparing apples to Volkswagens.”
The audience clapped and cheered as she blasted Republicans who were not objecting to Trump’s pardons as having “absolutely no spine.”
“Nobody who stood up and condemned that and is today silent after those pardons should be able to look at themselves in the mirror because you have no morals,” she slammed.
Defending Biden, she added: “Joe Biden’s family and the people he pardoned have not actually committed any crimes. He is trying to prevent them spending the rest of their lives fighting the government.”
While not part of the most recent moves, the former president did issue an unconditional pardon to his son Hunter, who had pleaded guilty to tax charges in September 2023 – despite previously pledging not to.
Nevertheless, Hostin agreed, stating that she “was not offended by Biden pardoning his family.”
“We’ve already had a Trump presidency, we know this administration will be a vengeful one, we know this is a vengeful man.
“If I could protect me and mine, I would do that. So I think we need to Joe Biden some grace,” she declared.
On Trump’s pardons, she said furiously: “He ran on this, ‘I’m going to be a law-and-order president,’ which a lot of the Republican Party runs on, so I think it’s really disgraceful that he would do that.”
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The debate sparked a huge response online, with some branding The View panel as “hypocrites” and “disgusting” after the majority defended Biden’s pardons while dismantling Trump’s.
“And here we have it: these women praise Biden for pardoning his family… and in return, condemn Trump for doing the same f*****g thing by pardoning the January 6th rioters. These women are f*****g insane. #TheView,” one slammed.
Another raged: “The same day Biden pardoned his entire family and the j6 committee. Something he said he wouldn’t do. Actually STFU,”
“This show is a boatload full of angry, disgruntled, downright mean women who hate love,” a third wrote disparagingly.
“This is absolutely DISGUSTING!!!” a fourth wrote in response to the clip while another simply raged: “Such hypocrisy.” (sic)