‘The View’ hosts react to Donald Trump’s victory: ‘The system worked’

The hosts of The view discussed Donald Trump’s return to the White House after months of criticism, stressing that despite Kamala Harris’ loss, it remains vital for everyone to stay engaged and fight for their rights.

“He’s now the president. I still don’t want to say his name,” Whoopi Goldberg said.

Co-host Joy Behar said her biggest takeaway from Tuesday’s election is the strength of the Democratic system.

“We live in a democracy. The people spoke. This is what the people wanted,” Behar said. “I strongly disagree with the decision that the Americans made, but I feel very, very hopeful that we have a democratic system in this country. We should appreciate it. We should love it.”

Co-host Sunny Hostin said she is “deeply disturbed” by the result and praised Harris for running an impressive campaign despite only having three months to prepare.

In July, President Joe Biden announced that he would not seek re-election in the 2024 presidential election and threw his support behind Harris.

“I was so hopeful that a mixed-race woman married to a Jewish guy could be elected president of this country, and I think it had nothing to do with politics,” Hostin said. “I think it was a referendum on cultural anger in this country.”

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said this is a moment to listen to voters and understand what they wanted.

“I think there are some lessons from that. I think we’re forgetting about rural America,” Farah Griffin said. “I think the working class feels behind. And he spoke to them. We might not like his words, but they showed up for him. They saw him, they thought he would fight more for them, the economy is going to be better.”

Farah Griffin, former White House communications director under Trump, also mentioned hearing from people today who believe “decent people will work for him” and there is hope for those who believe in public service to be part of his team.

Hostin said individuals need to continue to show up, stressing that if they are unhappy with the direction of the country, they need to stay engaged and vote in the midterms in two years.

“I think it’s time for us to be vigilant. We need to speak truth to power and speak up. I intend to continue to do that,” Hostin said. “I think we’ve got to keep an eye on bullying. We’ve got to make sure our institutions hold up. I think we’ve got to keep an eye on the Supreme Court and the federal judicial appointments.”

Co-host Sara Haines echoed Hostin’s sentiment and emphasized the importance of continuing the fight.

“Let’s see how we continue to fight for the people we care about and you take one step in front of the other,” Haines said. “And so here we are today, and I still feel that optimism because I feel arm in arm with so many people who agree with me, and I’m not going to stop marching.”

Goldberg acknowledged Trump’s victory as the 47th president, but expressed concern about the resurgence of divisive rhetoric and the return of harmful language that people had previously agreed to avoid.

“When things get bright enough that we see them, we’re going to have to call them out,” Goldberg said.

Trump completed the biggest political comeback in modern American history in the early hours of Wednesday, claiming enough electoral votes to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris and return to the White House for a second term.

Not since Grover Cleveland in 1892 has a US president been elected to two non-consecutive terms.

Harris will preside over Congress’s certification of Trump’s victory on January 6 next year – four years since the Capitol riot that at the time appeared to push her opponent into political obscurity.

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