Donald Trump‘s continued struggles to quash the conversations about Jeffrey Epstein and his administration’s dealing with of the so-called “Epstein Information” was as soon as once more the primary “Sizzling Subject” of the day on Thursday’s (July 17) version of The View.
This time, the cohosts reacted to Trump’s most up-to-date declare that the Epstein case is a “hoax … perpetrated by the Democrats and a few silly Republicans,” together with the firing of Maureen Comey, the daughter of James Comey and prosecutor within the instances towards Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell of their youngster intercourse trafficking ring.
“So instantly, now, that is our fault?” Whoopi Goldberg requested, incredulously. “That is the Democrats’ fault? It’s very, very freaky, however a number of his supporters are nonetheless satisfied there’s a cover-up taking place. How are they going to really feel about being referred to as dumb?”
“I don’t assume they prefer it,” Pleasure Behar mentioned in response. She then supplied a principle that it is a second some key Trump supporters have been ready for, explaining, “There’s an actual schism occurring within the get together proper now. And what’s attention-grabbing is that Elon Musk received’t cease posting about it. Mike Pence got here out of hiding to speak about it. He mentioned, ‘The time has come to launch the information.’ Nikki Haley is out slamming the secrecy round Epstein, and now his base is beginning to get mad. I feel that these individuals like Pence and Musk and the remainder of them and the Republicans within the Congress, they’ve secretly thought that what he’s been doing may be very harmful. I feel they consider that, however they’re too scared to say it. They’re afraid to lose their jobs. They’re intimidated by Donald Trump, and he will be vicious. He’ll main them. They’re scared for his or her households…. and now they see this chance to get him, and they’re seizing it.”
Sara Haines then identified that the conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein — significantly in the case of the so-called “information” containing an inventory of his high-profile shoppers — weren’t perpetrated by the left. “The Democrats had been by no means those speaking about this,” she mentioned. “This has been an age-old Republican — particularly MAGA — speaking level that goes to QAnon. That is one thing they’ve been speaking about for therefore lengthy.” She additionally pointed to an article about an lawyer for a few of Epstein’s victims who factors to a few of the greatest mysteries that also encompass the Epstein case, saying, “There’s stuff occurring that might reveal he was an asset, whether or not domestically or overseas. It’s one thing that should nonetheless be revealed.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin mentioned that Trump’s reactions to the swelling name for transparency with the Epstein information have solely stoked the curiosity additional. “If Trump is making an attempt to persuade individuals there’s no there, there, there’s nothing to see there, he’s doing actually the precise reverse of what you’d do. Firing the prosecutor who tried Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, that’s going to open the door to 1000 extra questions. Claiming it’s all a hoax by Democrats, even though Epstein was tried and died throughout his first time period, not when Joe Biden was in workplace, after which attacking his personal supporters whereas they’re already sad….”
“Why do you assume he’s doing that?” Behar inquired in interruption.
Griffin then mentioned that whereas she was by no means an enormous believer of any conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein, Trump’s reactions have modified that. “If I’m being sincere, I’ve questions on whose names could seem in these paperwork, what may exist, what the DOJ has as a result of they’re protesting an excessive amount of on one thing that there’s a lot public curiosity.”
“That’s not my query,” Behar then mentioned. “My query is, why is Donald Trump being so dumb?”
Amid laughter from the viewers and different cohosts and a few extra crosstalk, Behar clarified the “dumb” actions had been “attacking his personal base and preserving this principle alive.”
Griffin then went on to theorize that the media panorama surrounding Trump has modified. “Donald Trump, in his first time period and really a lot of this time period, has benefited from the truth that Fox Information is mainly an arm of the Republican Celebration. He can name up Fox Information’ primetime host, they usually’re going to say, ‘By no means thoughts. We’re not speaking about this anymore.’ However one thing he wasn’t banking on that’s new this time period is that this ecosystem of podcasters who helped put him into workplace, who’ve tens of tens of millions of listeners — Joe Rogan, Theo Von — who aren’t beholden to him. They honestly aren’t, and they aren’t going to let this go if Donald Trump calls him up and says, ‘Joe Rogan, cease speaking about this.’ Joe Rogan doesn’t care in any respect. He’s going to speak about it extra.”
“Yeah, I don’t assume he is aware of find out how to deal with it,” Sunny Hostin agreed. Nevertheless, she wished to level audiences to a “macro-level” perspective on the matter, significantly with the firing of Comey. After detailing her credentials as “the most effective of one of the best” and noting that profession prosecutors are usually shielded from political terminations, Hostin famous, “I feel lots of people ought to check out this [piece] that Stacey Abrams wrote… about how tyranny takes maintain, and there are 10 steps to autocracy, and a type of steps is to harass opposition events, to harass the civil sector, and particularly to harass the authorized trade, and to take out your political opponents.. We stopped speaking about Mission 2025 a very long time in the past; that is a part of Mission 2025. That is a part of the plan. So let’s keep in mind that these items that appear to be a distraction, that he appears to be doing this, and he appears to be doing that. He appears to try this that is all a part of a plan in the direction of a step in the direction of authoritarianism, towards the dictatorship.”
The View, weekdays, 11 a.m. ET, ABC