On Monday’s episode of The View, cohosts criticized President Donald Trump feuding with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk as Texas suffers from catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 82 people and left dozens more missing.
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg opened the show with a solemn acknowledgment of the disaster, urging viewers in affected areas to stay safe and tune in for information on how to help. The conversation quickly shifted to the escalating clash between Trump and Musk, which the cohosts viewed as an alarming distraction from the real crisis.
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“Elon Musk just announced he’s starting an all-new ‘America Party,’” Goldberg said, referencing the tech billionaire’s recent declaration on X, formerly Twitter.
“And here was the reaction from you-know-who,” she added.
Musk had announced the formation of the “America Party” over the weekend, claiming it would restore “freedom” and focus on flipping key House and Senate seats in 2026.
Trump fired back on Truth Social, saying Musk had “gone off the rails” and accusing him of being upset over the July 4 spending bill, which reportedly slashed electric vehicle incentives.
In a clip aired on The View, Trump said, “I think it’s ridiculous to start a third party. We’ve had tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it’s always been a two-party system.… Third parties have never worked. So [Musk] can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous.”
By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2025
When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.
Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom. https://t.co/9K8AD04QQN
While the panel briefly debated whether there’s room for a viable third party in U.S. politics, cohost Ana Navarro shifted the focus back to Trump’s actions during the natural disaster.
“I was appalled last night that Donald Trump was tweeting– Truth Socialing about this fight with Elon Musk at a time when there is death, sorrow, and tragedy in Texas,” Navarro said. “Instead of saying to the American people, ‘We’re going to get to the bottom of what went wrong, if we have to change things in Texas, in the weather system, at [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association] … at [the Federal Emergency Management Agency], we will,’ … he’s spending the time fighting with his former bromance partner Elon Musk.”
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) July 6, 2025
Cohost Sunny Hostin also pointed out the potential consequences of Trump’s rhetoric, noting reports that the Department of Justice is considering steps to denaturalize citizens, which she shared alongside Trump’s recent remarks about “deporting” Musk.
“For Trump to say that about Elon Musk, I think that is something that everybody is sort of missing in this little argument that they had together. The Department of Justice is really looking into now denaturalizing citizens — people who are considered American citizens — based on things like fraud,” Hostin said.
Navarro said pointedly, “Maybe someone should remind Trump that his wife [first lady Melania Trump] is a naturalized citizen.”
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“She sure is,” Hostin replied.
Navarro declared her focus now is on helping House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) become Speaker of the House in 2026.