‘The View’: Sunny Hostin Says Trump’s East Wing Destruction Is a Message to Melania

Sunny Hostin shared a unique theory about why Donald Trump unilaterally decided to completely destroy the White House’s East Wing on Thursday’s (October 23) edition of The View.
After the cohosts reviewed footage of Trump initially claiming that his $300 million ballroom would not affect the existing structure — which was later demolished entirely — and then slamming a reporter who questioned him about it as “a third-grade reporter,” the cohosts reacted.
Joy Behar spoke first to say, “I hope there’s a Stormy Daniels wing at least.”
Whoopi Goldberg then criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson for comparing the move to Barack Obama adding a basketball court or FDR adding a pool, saying, “Mike, I just want to point out that none of those things were done without permission.” She also disputed Trump’s claim that the ballroom will be privately funded by corporations, saying, “You know it’s always going to come down to the people. People are always going to end up paying for this stuff.”
“To say Obama put in a basketball court is like, ‘Should we do Bathfitters and put in a bathroom or should we knock the whole house down,” Behar said.
“She’s on fire today,” Goldberg then said in response to the audience applause.
“I’ve had it with him!” Behar exclaimed.
Hostin then shared her take on the matter, saying, “For me, it’s not so much that he — of course, it’s upsetting that he’s putting this gaudy, tacky, nasty ballroom in there with all the gold and everything — but I think what’s really significant is the history of the East Wing, which he has now completely demolished, when he first said he wasn’t going to be touching [it]. The East Wing is where the first lady resides. The East Wing has that incredible history. Betty Ford argued to increase pay for her staff in the East Wing. Eleanor Roosevelt was the first first lady to make that the ‘Office of the First Lady.’ Laura Bush launched her literacy efforts. Michelle Obama oversaw her ‘Let’s Move’ campaign. Betty Ford in particular said this about the East Wing: ‘If the West Wing is the mind of the nation, then the East Wing is the heart.’ So now can you imagine that?” She went on to suggest it might be a message to Melania Trump.
“The bottom line is if your husband decided to tear down the part of your house you hang out in, it says a lot about their relationship,” Hostin continued. “It says a lot about the role of the first lady in his administration. It says a lot about what he thinks, I think, about the first lady.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin criticized Trump doing this while the economy is ailing. “The American people are struggling. The economy is not rip-roaring the way that we were promised… I think of all my relatives who voted for Trump who really thought, ‘This guy is going to bring the country back. He’s going to make my paycheck go further.’ And that’s just not what we’re seeing right now. Unemployment is too high. Fewer jobs are available than there are people seeking out work. You see major American manufacturers had their worst quarter last year in years, which we were promised to bring back American manufacturing. So this juxtaposition, if he’s building his grand ballroom while everyone is still hurting bothers me.” She also said that if corporations do fund it, it’s “pay for play,” which she doesn’t like.
Sara Haines also criticized Trump’s ballroom amid the continued shutdown, saying, “Both sides of the aisle have called on President Trump to get involved and make a deal on getting the government up and running, and he hasn’t … We’ve got people lining up at food banks to feed their family who are still called to show up at work, some of them. This a disturbing optical problem that really should be an embarrassment right now.”
“Why do I keep hearing the words ‘French Revolution’ coming into my head right now: ‘Let them eat cake,'” Behar added.
Goldberg concluded the segment by wondering out loud with a laugh, “Can you imagine what would happen if Obama just said, ‘Listen, I’m going to obliterate [the East Wing]?’ All Michelle did was make a vegetable garden, and they lost their minds!”
The View, weekdays, 11a/10c, ABC