The Trump administration is escalating its long-running war on media critics, now training its sights on ABC's daytime talk show The View. White House spokesman Taylor Rogers recently attacked host Joy Behar as an "irrelevant loser suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome" and suggested the show could be "pulled off air." The broadside is the latest in a pattern that has seen President Trump sue outlets like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, NBC News, CBS News, and the BBC, while also denouncing late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert.
The Federal Communications Commission, under Trump appointees, has been quietly investigating The View for months, examining whether the program violated rules requiring equal airtime for rival political candidates. The probe is part of a wider agency review of whether ABC should retain its licenses for key local television stations. ABC has warned that the FCC action could have "a chilling effect on First Amendment-protected free speech on the eve of the 2026 elections," and network lawyers have signaled they are preparing to take the case to the Supreme Court.
The View, created by Barbara Walters and now in its 29th season, draws 2.7 million daily viewers, making it a significant political force. The current panel includes Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, and Alyssa Farah Griffin. Navarro and Griffin, the two Republicans, frequently join the liberals in criticizing Trump. Griffin, who worked in the first Trump administration, has described herself as "having been raised in the right-wing media."
Conservatives have long accused the show of liberal bias. The Media Research Center claimed this spring that The View featured 27 liberal guests to 1 Republican in its midterm year coverage. ABC countered that the show had invited numerous Trump allies, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, all of whom declined to appear.
The show received a news exemption from the FCC in 2002 under President George W. Bush, which had not been challenged in 24 years. That exemption is now under scrutiny. Daniel Suhr of the conservative Center for American Rights, which is pushing the FCC to revoke it, argued that hosts who "constantly bash the president and the party" produce "a real effect on our politics." Suhr noted that women, who make up 70 percent of the show's audience, are "one of the most important swing segments of the electorate."
Trump's relationship with The View has shifted dramatically. He was once a regular guest, appearing 18 times. During a March 2006 episode, he mused about his daughter Ivanka, prompting Behar to quip, "Who are you, Woody Allen?"—a line that sent Trump into laughter. The show also hosted his infamous feud with former host Rosie O'Donnell, whom he called a "slob." The rupture came in 2015 after a spat with Goldberg over his labeling of Mexican immigrants as "rapists."
The White House has sharpened its attacks over the past year. In July, after Behar's anti-Trump rant, the administration called for the show's cancellation. Hostin warned that such action "could lead to the dismantling of our Constitution." More recently, after Behar joked about Trump's actions in Iran, the White House labeled her "an extremely unlikeable talentless hack" with a "poorly rated TV show."
Despite the attacks, The View remains a ratings powerhouse, ranking number one in households among daytime talk shows, according to ABC. The network is bracing for a protracted legal battle that could define the boundaries of political speech on broadcast television. The Trump administration's broader push against perceived enemies in the media includes the creation of a $1.78 billion fund for allies claiming Biden-era persecution, a move that has drawn legal challenges from House Democrats who call it "unparalleled corruption."
