There’s a reason The View calls it the Hot Topics table. This morning’s show got fiery as Whoopi Goldberg and Ana Navarro fought about how to prepare for Donald Trump‘s second term in office. While Goldberg is waiting to see what another Trump presidency brings when he moves back into the White House in January, Navarro was adamant that Americans, especially vulnerable ones, need to begin getting ready now and don’t have the luxury to wait and see.
Echoing what she’s been saying on air for weeks now, Goldberg told viewers that they all need to chill out until thjey know what they’re fighting against.
“All we have to do from now until Jan. 21 is be with our families, be with our kids, do our jobs, make sure our checks don’t bounce, make sure we are taking care of ourselves and our families,” she said, adding, “Whatever he’s gonna do, he’s gonna do.”
Navarro, however, didn’t share her view. She piped up to tell Goldberg, “I disagree with you.”
“We have the luxury of saying that because we’re legal, we are successful, but if you’re an illegal immigrant in this country, you’re not going to be not in a panic,” she said. “If you are a woman working for the Department of Defense, you have a right to be in a panic.”
Goldberg then sternly interjected, “Ana, you tell people to stay fraught and like this,” waving her hands in the air in a panic. “That is not—” but Navarro insisted, “No, I’m telling people to prepare, Whoopi!”
Goldberg shot back, “Do you think they’re not prepared? They are prepared, and I’m saying to people—” but she couldn’t finish as Navarro told her, “But that means that they can’t be relaxing and enjoying Christmas when winter is coming.”
Goldberg defiantly replied, “It doesn’t mean that! You know what, I’m sorry. Babe, winter is here. Winter has been with us, and my point is, we can lay down and do nothing for the next 15 days and then be freaking out for the next four or two years.
At this point, the two were just taking turns talking over one another. Navarro cut in to say, “But my point to you is, we are in a privileged position that a lot of people who are going to be under [Trump’s] attack are not.”
The fight didn’t really resolve, despite The View‘s background music urging the co-hosts to wrap it up and cut to commercial. Goldberg maintained that we “have to figure out what we are panicking for” as she found an unlikely ally in Alyssa Farah Griffin, who admitted, “I’m on [Trump’s] enemies list and I’m not panicking.”
Still, Navarro held firm. Sipping from her mug and pursing her lips, she said, “I think people need to prepare.”
The View airs weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.