The View hosts discussed the historic arrest and arraignment of former president Donald Trump on Tuesday (4 April).
Trump pleaded “not guilty” to 34 counts against him at a Lower Manhattan courthouse, becoming the first current or former US president ever to be charged with a crime.
Introducing the topic, Whoopi Goldberg asked her cohosts: “How are you feeling about a historic day? You know, it’s sad, but I'm glad something’s happening.”
Goldberg’s colleagues immediately pushed back on her sentiment with Joy Behar replying: “It’s not sad, what’s sad?”
“Well, I’m sad that, in that [it is] an American president,” Goldberg explained.
“That he’s being called in for questioning et cetera and he’s being indicted because he committed certain crimes is not sad, that’s American justice,” Behar said.
“It’s the first time in any of our lifetimes, and I don’t think any of us could have really imagined this,” Goldberg added.
This time, Sunny Hostin pushed back, saying: “I imagined it.”
“With him, no, but I mean with other presidents,” Goldberg said.
Last month, Goldberg apologised for using a dated slur in reference to Trump.
“You know when you’re a certain age, you use words that you know from when you’re a kid or you remember saying and that’s what I did today. And I shouldn’t have,” Goldberg, 67, acknowledged.
The dated term gy***d is a common slur used against people of Romani heritage, who were often called gy****s.
The felony charges against the former president relate to a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Follow The Independent’s live coverage of Trump’s indictment here.
