‘The View’ Cohosts Clash Over Michelle Obama & Nancy Pelosi Skipping Trump’s Inauguration (VIDEO)

Amanda Bell January 17, 2025, 11:54 am

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Joy Behar, Ana Navarro, and Alyssa Farah Griffin on The View — ABC

“Thank God it’s Friday,” Joy Behar said at the start of Friday’s (January 17) episode of The View. The cohost was unabashedly irritated about the state of affairs and let her opinions fly loud and clear during the first “Hot Topic” discussion of Michelle Obama’s decision not to attend Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration next week. And she wasn’t the only one to share a very spicy reaction to the subject, either.

“The guest list is set for Trump’s inauguration on Monday. Can’t wait. Not!” Behar said with sarcasm to start the discussion. “Trump’s favorite oligarchs — sorry, I mean, billionaires — are sure to be in attendance, but one VIP who’s skipping the event is former first lady Michelle Obama.”

When asked if that was the right decision, Sunny Hostin was emphatic: “Yes, Lord, she is so right. She gave us that, ‘When they go low, we must go high’ [catchphrase]. And I think she’s changed her tune. I think when they go low, you have to meet that energy and perhaps go even lower. Become small, like an ant, and go to the Earth’s crust.”

Hostin then reminded everyone about the many photographs of the former first lady that showed her dismay during Trump’s first inauguration and her explanation of them, saying, “She said that she did not enjoy Trump’s 2017 inauguration because there was no diversity, there was no color on that stage that there was a reflection of the broader sense of what America looks like, and many people took pictures of her and there, and she just wasn’t in a good mood.” She also pointed to Michelle Obama’s DNC speech in which she castigated Trump for “feel[ing] threatened by the existence of two hardworking and highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black,” in reference to herself and former President Barack Obama. “I think when you see that, you understand why she wouldn’t go.”

Alyssa Farah Griffin agreed that it isn’t wrong for Michelle Obama to sidestep the event, but she did take issue with Nancy Pelosi, speaker emeritus of the House of Representatives, opting out as well: “I think it’s a missed opportunity for two reasons. I think that showing that the country is still going to move forward, even if the person you didn’t want to win wins, even if you have grave concerns about who they are. But also, she is still a leader among Democrats. She’s a sitting lawmaker. While she’s not speaker, she’s speaker emeritus. I think it’s kind of signaling, almost, Democrats retreating when there is something powerful to showing up and saying, ‘We’re here, we’re going to sit here, listen to him take the oath of office, be sworn in. But we also exist.'”

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“Why do they get that, though, Alyssa, when Trump himself didn’t go to the inauguration,” Hostin replied to big audience applause.

That’s when Sara Haines jumped in with her own spirited reply, saying, “It’s kind of like as a parent, I always say, ‘We do not let the worst example among us set the bar for us. We do better when we know how to do better.’ And so for me, I don’t mind Michelle Obama not attending again. Their family has given so much to this country. They have done so much that at this point, the tradition is the people that were in office, the presidents, the vice presidents, senators…”

“He broke that tradition,” Hostin interjected.

“I don’t care what Donald Trump does. I will not stop fighting…. None of us here voted for him. If we think he is all those things we said, then you continue to do your job harder. You show up. You do the things. The fact that she is speaker emeritus. You’re right. You do not say, ‘Well, they did it before.’ That’s like preschool.”

Ana Navarro then issued her take, saying, “I can’t believe I’m defending her because I’m with Joe Biden on this one. But she’s 84 years old. She just fell first and broke her hip … She’s on a walker. The inauguration is outdoors.”

Griffin then pointed out that there is precedent for an illness or injury-related absence, saying, “Barbara Bush and [George H.W. Bush] did that the first Trump inauguration. They were both aging and said, ‘We can’t safely be there. Our doctors said we couldn’t.’ That’s a legitimate reason.”

Behar, still visibly frustrated, then joined in to say, “What bothers me is the capitulation that’s going on everywhere. I mean, at this point, Michelle, Nancy, Kamala [Harris], and Karen Pence are standing up against Trump. The men are folding like cheap suits… I just want to say, this is not a normal inauguration. This is not a normal person. He’s a convicted felon. Why do they go as if this is a normal inauguration?”

Haines then got especially animated as she defended her opinion that there’s an obligation for officials to attend saying, “Because it presents to the friggin’ globe, when you have presidents that say, ‘Just because this we’re not gonna normalize Trump.’ America voted. The normalizing of President Trump happened when the American public went out and voted.”

Navarro then returned to the point of defending Obama’s decision, saying, “I think Michelle Obama is living her best life, and I think she learned to put herself first and put her mental health first, which is why news viewership and things like that have lowered, have gone down dramatically because people are checking out. I think Michelle Obama sat there, did her job when she was the outgoing first lady… she played nice, she went to the inaugural. She sat through that insane speech about American carnage. All her pictures are like, ‘What am I listening to?’ I think this time she’s saying, ‘Ooh. Been there. Done that. You’re solo on this. I’m out. I’m gonna do what’s best for my mental health.’ And I think she’s fine to do that.”

Navarro also told audiences at home, “I think every American who wants to do that, if watching the inaugural is going to be bad for your mental health, go do something that’s going to be good for your mental health.”

At the end of the discussion, as Behar signaled the start of a commercial break, she once again made her displeasure with the topic clear, saying, “I’m too aggravated now.”

MICHELLE OBAMA SKIPPING TRUMP’S INAUGURATION: #TheView co-hosts weigh in on the former first lady and Nancy Pelosi not attending President-elect Trump’s inauguration on Monday. pic.twitter.com/MK3nducPYB

— The View (@TheView) January 17, 2025