‘The View’s Joy Behar Shares Grim Thoughts on Trump’s ICE Plans

After Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis in response to the swelling anti-ICE protests happening after an agent’s deadly shooting of U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good, the cohosts of The View shared their reactions during Thursday’s (January 15) first “Hot Topic” discussion. Joy Behar, in particular, revealed a grim perspective on that and the current state of the country at large.

After reviewing footage of a violent clash between ICE agents and protesters in the Twin Cities, along with a message from the city’s mayor calling for “peace,” moderator Whoopi Goldberg insisted Trump invoking the act would be “adding fuel to the fire” before inviting her cohosts to speak to the issue.

After Sunny Hostin cautioned that using that act “would be militarizing the space” and that it “frightens” her because it could happen in any place in the U.S., Behar spoke up to say, “He owns everything. He owns the Department of Justice… You say, ‘We’re not alone,’ yet, I feel very much alone.”

Hostin agreed, saying, “It does feel like it’s his own private law firm, which is not supposed to happen.” However, she also encouraged that a potential federal judge’s ruling could curtail certain ICE agent aggressions. “If she curtails ICE’s use of force. I think perhaps, perhaps Minnesota will, things will be deescalating there.”

Behar reacted with cynicism, saying, “Really? Hope springs eternal.”

Alyssa Farah Griffin then agreed that “deescalation” is a necessity to “keep peace in the streets” and credited Governor Tim Walz with preparing the state’s National Guard for potential response. However, she also worried that what may result is a clash between them and ICE agents. “Say Governor Walz has the Minnesota National Guard, who are there to make sure protesters aren’t getting injured and ICE officers aren’t getting injured. Then you bring in a federalized force that answers to the federal government, you could have tremendous clashes. You could have a lot of confusion about authority, and it makes this tinderbox situation even more dangerous.”

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“But I feel like that’s what he wants,” Hostin said.

Sara Haines pointed to Mayor Frey’s statement, saying, “He said, ‘We cannot meet Donald Trump’s chaos with our own version of chaos.’ He said, ‘Be peaceful. Don’t take the bait.'” She compared that to the message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement.

“I’m really glad that people have been doing it the right way,” Goldberg said of protestors.

However, Behar had a different perspective, pointing out the hypocrisy of Trump and his administration officials defending January 6th insurrectionists while saying protestors in Minneapolis deserve punishment. “Basically, the administration said that those people who are attacking police were tourists. Remember that? So they will spin it and make it any way they want. So if you are a peaceful protester from the left, you are creating an insurrection. If you’re doing it from the right, you’re a tourist. That’s where they’re at. That’s why, when you say, ‘We’re not alone,’ I feel very much alone, because these institutions are not protecting us.”

However, Goldberg assured her, “As long as we’re here at this table… you are not alone.”

The View, weekdays, 11a/10c, ABC