During a recent episode of The View, the panelists described President Trump’s administration as a “circus” following reports that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth might be implicated in a war crime.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The View is currently on hiatus and will resume on Monday, January 5, 2026. The episode that aired today was originally broadcast on December 4, 2025, coinciding with the initial publication of this article.)

Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin discussed the likelihood of President Trump dismissing Hegseth, despite the controversies surrounding his tenure as head of the Department of Defense.

Behar speculated during the December 4 broadcast that Trump is unlikely to let go of Hegseth, saying, “He’s not gonna get rid of him.” Hostin agreed, suggesting that Trump would avoid such a move to prevent appearing as if he made a poor choice in appointing Hegseth, considering Trump’s assertion that he selects “the best people.”

Hostin humorously remarked, “They’re so unqualified, I’m telling you. When you hire a clown, you got a circus. That’s what happens.” She concluded by criticizing the administration’s leadership, stating, “There’s no real leadership at the top. It’s a circus.”

Whoopi Goldberg then weighed in and slammed Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Kash Patel, the director of the FBI.

“Think about it, everyone’s playing dress up,” Goldberg complained. “From Kristi Noem, to Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, – they’re all playing dress up. It’s like they think they’re in a movie.”

After Alyssa Farah Griffin noted that “the stakes couldn’t be higher” for the Department of Defense, Behar accused Trump of using Hegseth’s controversy as a distraction.

“Trump would rather have an allegation of a war crime than let people in America focus on a bad economy and the Epstein files,” she said. “They would rather you look over here than over here.”

Sara Haines seemed to agree, adding, “He’s working some angle.”

Earlier this week, the ladies of The View debated whether U.S. troops could be held responsible for following Hegseth’s orders after he allegedly ordered military officials to kill everyone aboard the boat, resulting in a second strike that killed two remaining survivors, per The Washington Post. Hegseth has denied the report.

Hostin said this could put “people that are serving this country as patriots” at risk.

“What he’s done is he’s set them up,” Goldberg declared on the show. “Listen, this is not the first time it’s happened. This is like the fifth, sixth or seven time. At some point, somebody is responsible and the buck stops there.”

The View airs on weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.