Whoopi Goldberg questions Trump’s mental acuity after UN address on The View
The View panel describes Trump’s UN General Assembly remarks as embarrassing and not presidential, raising questions about competency and the 25th Amendment.
On Wednesday, the hosts of The View dissected President Donald Trump’s address to the United Nations General Assembly, describing it as not presidential and raising questions about his mental acuity. The discussion highlighted the ongoing polarization in how Republicans and Democrats evaluate a president’s fitness to lead as Trump sought to appeal to global audiences in New York.
Sara Haines set the tone with a blistering take, telling viewers, “I just feel like someone died yesterday watching that, like his people, his team, because that was just a train wreck.” Sunny Hostin and Joy Behar echoed the sentiment, with Behar calling the speech, “What an embarrassment,” and Hostin adding that, at least in the moment, the world seemed to be laughing at the United States. The conversation touched on concerns about the presidency's competence, a line of attack that has been heard before in partisan debates over executive leadership.
Goldberg weighed in during the discussion, saying she was “worried” by the address and noting that the administration could have offered much more. “This was not presidential and this was not helpful,” she said, adding that she understood why Republicans might have been inclined to question Biden’s competence if the roles were reversed. Hostin pressed the 25th Amendment angle, telling Goldberg, “It’s actually the 25th amendment when you start questioning someone’s competence and mental acuity.”
The debate extended to what the remarks implied about Trump’s intent. Behar and Goldberg pointed out that the criticism extended beyond rhetoric, with Hostin later suggesting that Trump’s comments about immigration were inflammatory and divisive and that the former president has a desire to secure a Nobel Peace Prize. “He lies” and, as Goldberg quipped, “somebody make one and send it to him!” The exchange underscored how televised moments at the U.N. can shape perceptions back home and feed ongoing political narratives ahead of any 2024 or 2025 electoral dynamics.
A broader context: The View, which is aired on weekdays at 11/10c on ABC, has long been a platform for public conversations about presidential performance and policy, a dynamic that intensified as Trump’s global messaging collided with domestic political debates. The panel’s remarks on the UN address illustrate how media forums frame executive leadership under pressure and how such moments ripple through partisan discourse as audiences weigh questions of capability, fitness, and accountability.