ABC News program, The View, engaged in dangerous acts of disinformation on Monday, falsely telling viewers that President Trump had ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles, CA to “attack the protesters” and kick off a “civil war.” While ignoring the destructive riots targeting ICE agents looking for illegal immigrants, they claimed Trump was “setting” a “trap” for the “Latino community” for them to turn violent.
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg decried that Trump was interfering with California’s “states’ rights” to allow L.A. to descend into anarchy and violence. “You don’t just send people in. You don't just send troops in, people in. But what do I know, I’ve never run a state,” she ignorantly scoffed.
She also claimed that trying to enforce U.S. immigration laws were the real problem:
But I don't really, you know, when you come in and everyone -- when you go into the doughnut shop to look for people and you're dressed in tactical gear, you're creating an issue. You're creating a problem. You want people to come, you scanned them, even when people are supposed to be there, when they come to talk to the judge, you're arresting them right after. What's going on here?
Seemingly ignorant of what the National Guard was, co-host Sunny Hostin whined that Trump was “militarizing” them. She also used incendiary rhetoric when she claimed there were there “for the purpose of policing Americans' protest activity, right, our freedom of speech, our freedom of assembly.
She and Goldberg teamed up to claim the National Guard was going to start a “civil war”:
HOSTIN: And you are an army turned inside to police its citizens can cause chaos and fascism. And so, I think that’s the way -
GOLDBERG: Civil war.
HOSTIN: And civil war. I think that’s the way we need to look at it, because deploying the National Guard is supposed to be last resort.
Adding to the dangerous rhetoric, fake Republican Ana Navarro claimed – without evidence - that the National Guard was ordered to “attack the protesters.” ABC News then show images of explosions and burning cars as if the National Guard was responsible, not the rioters.
Still ignoring the violence over the weekend, she claimed the National Guard’s presence was just Trump “setting” a “trap” for the “Latino community,” baiting them to be violent:
I'm Latino. I'm an immigrant. These are my people who getting dragged through the streets. I want to say to the Latino community, we must be strategic, we must be nonviolent. We have the right to protest, we are Americans, this is our country, we have the right to free speech, but we can't fall into the trap that Donald Trump is setting of wanting to turn this into violent protests and distract from his feud with Elon Musk.
Pretend independent Sara Haines declared that the deployment of the National Guard was meant to “create a scene” to justify their presences. She falsely claimed “they were not [violent] until this was exacerbated [by Trump].”
Haines blew Hostin’s mind when she noted that a super majority of Americans (66 percent) believed it was illegal to be in the country illegally and wanted illegal immigrants deported. “So, there's misinformation out there,” Hostin bloviated. “So, let’s fix that right now because it is not illegal to be undocumented! It is not a crime to be undocumented! People are not illegal!”
As they were nearing the end of the segment, Goldberg wondered if we were witnessing “pure fascism” in America and ridiculously suggested, “you're telling me as an American I can't protest.” “Well, there are indications of fascism,” Hostin agreed.
There were no legal notes delivered to correct their disinformation.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
June 9, 2025
11:03:44 a.m. Eastern(…)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: The Defense Department has the U.S. Marines on high alert right now. Now, you know, is it warranted, or does this sort of escalate the situation? I mean, whatever happened to state's rights? I thought that’s what you do.
Cause you tell the state what we’re thinking of doing. You don’t just send people in. You don't just send troops in, people in. But what do I know, I’ve never run a state.
But I don't really, you know, when you come in and everyone -- when you go into the doughnut shop to look for people and you're dressed in tactical gear, you're creating an issue. You're creating a problem. You want people to come, you scanned them, even when people are supposed to be there, when they come to talk to the judge, you're arresting them right after. What's going on here?
SUNNY HOSTIN: I think what really matters from sort of a long view here, is the fact that he is militarizing and deploying the Guard for the purpose of policing Americans' protest activity, right, our freedom of speech, our freedom of assembly. And there's a very big stark demarcation between military troops and law enforcement. Public law enforcement. Civilian law enforcement.
And you are an army turned inside to police its citizens can cause chaos and fascism. And so, I think that’s the way -
GOLDBERG: Civil war.
HOSTIN: And civil war.
I think that’s the way we need to look at it, because deploying the National Guard is supposed to be last resort. But what this president is doing, is that he is saying he's going to deploy them anywhere in this country where there is protests. So, that's certainly not a last resort use of, you know, military troops.
(…)
11:06:21 a.m. Eastern
ANA NAVARRO: Today, he is sending in the National Guard to attack the protesters, who are there. And look, this for me hits really close. I'm Latino. I'm an immigrant. These are my people who getting dragged through the streets. I want to say to the Latino community, we must be strategic, we must be nonviolent. We have the right to protest, we are Americans, this is our country, we have the right to free speech, but we can't fall into the trap that Donald Trump is setting of wanting to turn this into violent protests and distract from his feud with Elon Musk.
(…)
SARA HAINES: He wants to create a scene, he wants to say, I was justified in sending in the National Guard because look at how violent these protesters are, they were not, until this was exacerbated.
I think he has a strategy here. He is losing support in every area, inflation, economy, tariffs, foreign policy, his ratings are dropping like rocks.
NAVARRO: Even on immigration he’s losing people.
HAINES: But there's one catch here.
HOSTIN: Is it under 30 percent?
HAINES: Current support right now, though, is that 66 percent of the American public actually think it is crime enough to be undocumented and therefore deported.
HOSTIN: That it's criminal to be undocumented?
HAINES: Yes. It’s not – You know how the disagreement in the beginning we were told it was going to be violent criminals. And I think everyone at this table would agree haul out the violent criminals, fine. But a very important distinction was, 60 percent of the American public, two-thirds of independents, 90 percent of Republicans, and just a little under half of Democrats think the crime is in being undocumented.
ALYSSA AFRAH GRIFFIN: Even if it's a civil offense. Yeah, that’s true.
HAINES: Yes. So, what I’m saying is, a massive amount of this country actually agrees with not how he’s doing it, but what he’s doing.
HOSTIN: So, there's misinformation out there.
HAINES: So, I think the strategy here is he's leaning into a scene right now, creating it a bigger thing, cause it’s the one thing that he remains supported in.
HOSTIN: So, let’s fix that right now because it is not illegal to be undocumented! It is not a crime to be undocumented! People are not illegal!
[Crosstalk]
HOSTIN: We need to put that information out there. It's a civil infraction. Not criminal.
FARAH GRIFFIN: And I don’t think it’s actually broadly a misunderstanding. I think that 60 percent of Americans believe it's a civil offense and that if you come here and you're undocumented you should be deported.
(…)
11:12:37 a.m. Eastern
GOLDBERG: What is it?! Are we about state's rights? Are we about keeping people in or out? Are you out because you got here in a different way because you fled the nation you lived in and maybe you were able to get in and now you've been trying to stay and doing it right and you're still getting thrown out?! So what is it?!
Is this just pure fascism that's happening?! Is this what's going on?!
HOSTIN: Well, there are indications of fascism.
GOLDBERG: Well, you know, it feels like, if you're telling me as an American I can't protest, if you're telling me that I can't come here and try to stay because I'm afraid to go back to my country. That doesn't sound like America to me. That's not the America I know.
(…)