‘The View’ Hosts Share Trump State of the Union Predictions — Who Won’t Watch?

The cohosts of The View shared their predictions for Donald Trump‘s upcoming State of the Union address, and at least one admitted she won’t be tuning in to see it live.

On Tuesday’s (February 24) show, the first “Hot Topic” of the day was the matter of the SOTU, and moderator Whoopi Goldberg said she’d be watching something else entirely instead of “You Know Who.”

“I will be watching Bob’s Burgers tonight,” she explained. Though she did say she’ll “catch the highlights” later in order to discuss them the next day, she explained, “I just, I can’t. Because we have to absorb so much of it, I just have to keep my evenings for myself.”

The others on the panel, however, shared their plans to tune in, with Joy Behar joking, “With this snowstorm, I need a good laugh, so I’m gonna watch.”

Guest host Amanda Carpenter was the first to share her predictions for the substance of the SOTU, saying, “I’m gonna be watching it because I’m really curious to see how he handles spinning the brutal ICE tactics that he’s been using in places like Maine and Minnesota. I’m curious to see what the Democrats will do because I just don’t feel like they’ve matched the energy of the activists there. I need them to match that energy of the people who were in the streets.” She then explained that her own activism organization, Protect Democracy, has been pursuing litigation against the Department of Homeland Security in those states, explaining, “They were exercising their legal rights to observe ICE activity, and agents have been using facial scanners. They’re using license plates to follow them to their homes. And in our complaint, we state that an officer told an activist who is legally exercising her rights, that, ‘If you continue to do this, we will put you on a domestic terror list, and we will come to your home.'”

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Upon being questioned by Behar about whether she’s still a conservative, the former senior staffer for Ted Cruz said, “I am a conservative because I am terrified about out-of-control government, and I see this in the streets, and so I need Democrats to do more than wear a pantsuit expressing solidarity or waving a sign. They need to do something to push back.”

Goldberg quickly pushed back against Carpenter putting the onus on Democrats, though, saying, “Let me tell you what the Democrats have done. They’ve allowed this to play out because we said, ‘Hey, this is not good for them, for the country, and the Republicans allowed it to go on.’ And when you don’t have the power to change stuff… you let them do what they’re going to do until people start to say, ‘We’re rising up.’ And that’s what they did. They got up, and they said, ‘This is not OK. It’s happening all throughout the country.'” Goldberg also praised Carpenter and her organization for their actions, saying, “I’m glad your organization is doing that, because as a conservative, this should bother you as much as it bothers me.”

Sunny Hostin agreed with Goldberg that Democrats aren’t responsible for making change when they’re not in power but agreed with Carpenter that they have a messaging opportunity at the SOTU. “Democrats are the minority in the House, the minority in the Senate, the minority on the Supreme Court, which really shouldn’t be partisan anyway. The Republicans own all of this. They own everything that’s been happening. And I do think, though, that Democrats should show up to the State of the Union. This is the president of the United States reporting to Congress as he is supposed to do. It’s been happening since the times of George Washington. And I think a lot of people don’t agree, just because this president doesn’t have decorum doesn’t mean that members of Congress shouldn’t do their duty, which is to show up and listen.”

Behar countered that they shouldn’t show up because “they acted like idiots” last time, but that’s not the only reason. “I don’t think that he’s a legitimate president,” she explained, adding, “In my lifetime — and that includes Nixon and Reagan, both conservative Republicans that I did not vote for — neither one of them would behave the way this one man behaved.” At Hostin’s prompting, she admitted by legitimacy, she didn’t mean he wasn’t “duly elected,” but, “he lacks any sense of what he’s supposed to do.”

Sara Haines took a page from Hakeem Jeffries’ playbook, saying, “You show up, and the contrast… let him say what he’s going to say. Donald Trump has no shortage of just weaving and bobbing and lying. And when you talk about ICE and all the things he’s going to lean hard into, how it was all violent criminals, and people, voters have to look and decide for themselves.”

Hostin then outlined her expectations from the address, saying, “I expect to hear misinformation about voter fraud, which we know extensively does not exist. I expect to hear misinformation in the demonization of immigrants… We’re going to hear that misinformation. Democrats have the opportunity to rebut. But decorum, decorum, decorum. There is a time now that we can try to bring decorum. There needs to be an adult in the room, and the Democrats, hopefully bring that.”

Carpenter then suggested that while Democrats should go, Supreme Court justices should not attend and become “punching bags” for Trump.

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