In yet another eyebrow-raising episode of The View, hosts suggested an outlandish conspiracy theory involving Elon Musk and Senator JD Vance plotting to “get rid of” Donald Trump. The segment was filled with wild speculation, bizarre analogies, and an eventual awkward backtrack.
The claims began with Whoopi Goldberg setting the stage. “Who is in charge?” she demanded, insinuating that Musk has presidential aspirations. “I’ve been saying it for a while. I think Elon Musk believes he’s President. I do.”
Joy Behar chimed in with her trademark sarcasm, saying, “Well, you can call him Vice President.” Goldberg took the bait, adding, “I’ve called him Vice President. I called him President because I don’t know what JD is doing. I hardly ever said. I don’t remember the last time we even talked about JD.”
The unclear logic of the exchange didn’t stop Behar from taking it up a notch. “He’s planning the presidency when he’s got to get rid of Trump,” she claimed with no evidence, leaving viewers and co-hosts equally puzzled.
As if the insinuation wasn’t strange enough, Goldberg offered unsolicited advice for Trump. “Stay away from the stairways. People put their leg out to trip people down the stairs. Watch out,” she said ominously.
ABC News moderators Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar claim Elon Musk and JD Vance are planning to kill Trump and usurp control of the government together as Musk/Vance.
“[Trump] stay away from the stairways.” – Whoopi pic.twitter.com/bMRmOSwdrk— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 19, 2024
This comment seemed to allude to an actual physical threat, prompting concern and criticism. After a commercial break, Goldberg backtracked in what can only be described as a bizarre clarification.
“I need to clean something up because my cat lays in wait for me on my stairs all the time,” Goldberg explained. “That’s what I was thinking of. I wasn’t trying to indicate that they [Musk and Vance] were actually standing there with their legs out hoping he [Trump] would trip.”
Sunny Hostin jumped in to reinforce the retreat. “No, nobody wants anything done to the President,” she said. Goldberg doubled down, insisting it was all a misunderstanding. “No, it was light-hearted, and it’s the holidays. Come on. My goodness. You did not mean that anybody should hurt the President. No.”
After a commercial break, Whoopi tries to downplay her assassination comments about Trump by claiming she was thinking about her cat: “My cat lays in wait for me on my stairs all the time and that’s what I was referring [to].”
“No one wants anything done to the President.” Hostin pic.twitter.com/4qUc0thEYT— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 19, 2024
Goldberg continued her clarification with a convoluted defense. “Okay. You think about this show, there’s no way not to step in poop. There’s no way to do it. There’s no way not to do it. For all of you who are waiting and saying, ‘Oh, my God, listen to what she said,’ I got a cat who does it to me every day. That’s what sparked [the comment].”
The explanation left many scratching their heads, as the show seemed to spiral into self-parody. The segment served as yet another example of The View’s tendency to dive into sensationalism before scrambling to clean up the fallout.
The segment quickly sparked backlash online, with critics accusing the hosts of fearmongering and reckless speculation. Social media was flooded with reactions mocking the hosts’ disjointed logic and Goldberg’s attempt to attribute her remarks to a mischievous cat.
Conservatives and Trump supporters were especially vocal, calling the segment a smear campaign against Musk and Vance. “This is beyond ridiculous,” one commenter wrote. “Imagine making baseless accusations like this on national television and then blaming your cat for the fallout.”
Others pointed out the increasing absurdity of The View’s rhetoric. “They’ve officially gone off the deep end. This is a new low,” said another.
This isn’t the first time The View has come under fire for its inflammatory remarks. Over the years, the show’s hosts have been criticized for their off-the-cuff comments and controversial takes on political figures.
Elon Musk, now the owner of X (formerly Twitter), and Senator JD Vance, a staunch supporter of Trump, have both been frequent targets of liberal media criticism. However, the suggestion that they’re plotting against Trump seems to have crossed a line even for The View.
While the segment may have been intended as light-hearted banter, it underscores the growing polarization in American media and politics. Outlandish theories and hyperbole often take center stage, leaving little room for substantive discussion.
For Goldberg and her co-hosts, this latest misstep is likely to fuel further criticism of The View as a platform more focused on theatrics than thoughtful debate. For Musk and Vance, it’s yet another example of how their political stances continue to attract both scrutiny and wild conjecture.
In the end, the episode may be remembered more for Goldberg’s attempt to blame her comments on a cat than for any meaningful discussion about Trump, Musk, or Vance. But in the world of The View, perhaps that’s just another day at the office.
