MAGA escalates war on "The View" as host fails to honor Trump hat promise
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Alyssa Farah Griffin speaks during the Principles First summit in Washington. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images
MAGA influencers raged against "The View" this week as host Alyssa Farah Griffin breaks her promise to wear a MAGA hat on air.
The big picture: Though MAGA figures have long criticized "The View" — especially after it hired Griffin, a former aide to President Trump, as the show's lone conservative voice — they've seen the possibility of her wearing a MAGA hat as a potential cultural win.
Catch up quick: In January, Griffin promised to wear a red MAGA hat on air if Trump negotiated a Gaza peace deal.
- If Trump "gets the Israeli hostages out, I promise I will wear a MAGA hat for one day on this show and say, 'Thank you for doing it,'" she said.
- "You have to be able to cheer for wins when they happen and then call out relentlessly the wrongdoings," she added.
- That deal was finalized over the weekend, as Trump said on Sunday that the war in Gaza was over. All 20 living Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas on Monday.
Driving the news: Griffin didn't wear a hat on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday in the first episodes since the deal was announced.
- "Whether you like Trump or not, I think he, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner deserve credit for this deal," Griffin said on Monday's episode.
- "If this peace deal holds, which I pray that it does, it's historic, it is a massive diplomatic achievement, and I think the whole world can breathe a sigh of relief," she added.
MAGA voices, Trump lash out at Griffin
MAGA immediately had eyes on "The View" this week once the Gaza peace deal was done, with many pressuring Griffin to wear a red MAGA hat as promised.
- Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a clip of Griffin's promise: "Sending this to the top. Let's go."
- Political strategist CJ Pearson wrote on X: "We're all waiting @Alyssafarah!"
- John Rich, a member of the country music duo Big & Rich, wrote: "She'll never do it..."
- Griffin disabled comments on an X post, in which she shared thoughts on the Gaza deal.
On Tuesday, Trump claimed Griffin gave the president a praise-filled letter when she left the White House.
- "She got hired by 'The View,' and they gave her a couple of bucks, and she changed her view very quickly. I never thought she'd make it. I never thought she had what it took. In any way. You know what that means."
- "It shows just what a fraud 'The View' is," he said, adding: "I think she's a joke."
Griffin's stance on Trump
Zoom out: Griffin served in a number of roles at the White House — including press secretary to former Vice President Mike Pence and as a special assistant to Trump — before she resigned in 2020.
- Griffin denounced the Jan. 6 Capitol attack as it was happening.
- She said she received "threats from the left and right" for working in the White House.
She became an official "View" co-host in August 2022, filling the conservative slot vacated by Meghan McCain the year prior.
- Her hiring was deemed potentially controversial when it happened because of her ties to Trump.
Griffin has criticized Trump as "unfixable" over his violent rhetoric and failure to walk back controversial comments.
- When Trump admitted he lost the 2020 election, Griffin said it was a major slip up by the former president, contradicting years of comments he made.
- In 2022, when Trump slammed former Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.- Ky) and his wife Elaine Chao, Griffin scolded the former president, Griffin tweeted: "He's not even trying to hide the racism at this point. Just despicable."
- She has slightly changed her tune, saying after the 2024 election that she supports 75% of Trump's policies.
Trump vs. "The View"
Trump has feuded with "The View" for more than a decade, with Griffin's recent squabble deepening the tension.
- Trump had a longstanding war of words with Rosie O'Donnell, who was on the show from 2006 to 2007.
- Trump Jr. had a heated exchange with hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg while promoting his book "Triggered" in 2019.
- In 2024, Trump said "The View" hosts were "really dumb people," calling Goldberg "demented" and "filthy, dirty."
More recently in July, the White House said Behar was "an irrelevant loser suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome."
- The White House also suggested that "The View" should be "the next to be pulled off the air" following CBS canceling "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
What we're watching: Griffin didn't wear a hat on Wednesday, so there's always Thursday.
Representatives for "The View" and ABC did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment Wednesday.
More from Axios:
