'Gonna look kind of bad': ABC News head told 'The View' hosts to tone down Trump criticism
Carl Gibson,
Carl Gibson,
AlterNet
May 22, 2025
LOS ANGELES - JUL 20: Whoopi Goldberg at the "A Night With Whoopi" Event at the 57 Windward on July 20, 2024 in Venice, CA. (Photo credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock)
Hosts for one of the most-watched daytime news shows were recently asked to back off from criticizing President Donald Trump, according to a new report.
The Daily Beast reported Wednesday that both ABC News president Almin Karamehmedovic and Disney CEO Bob Iger communicated to the hosts of "The View" that their political coverage should be toned down in favor of softer, more celebrity-focused segments. The Beast cited unnamed sources who confided that the hosts didn't take kindly to the suggestion, with co-host Ana Navarro pointing out that a major sector of their audience watches them for political analysis.
The source emphasized that the request to talk less about the Trump administration was not an "edict" and that the hosts still had free rein to decide what topics to discuss for each episode. But the show's on-air talent still reportedly bristled at the suggestion.
"This is what our audience wants," one of the hosts reportedly said during the exchange with executives. "Isn’t it gonna look kind of bad if we’re all of a sudden not talking about politics?
"The View" co-host Ana Navarro reportedly had a private conversation with Iger in which she thanked the Disney CEO for allowing them editorial control. And while Iger communicated that he still supported the show and the hosts, he echoed Karamehmedovic's wishes that the show's five hosts tone down their Trump criticism.
The Beast's source said that the suggestion from network executives to focus less on political topics was "based on viewer feedback," but the outlet noted that "The View" was the #1 daytime news show for the first quarter of 2025, beating out its top competitor shows on Fox News and NBC.
ABC — which is owned by Disney — settled a defamation lawsuit that Trump filed against the network last year, agreeing to pay him $15 million (along with an additional $1 million for legal expenses) with Trump arguing that ABC journalist George Stephanopoulos defamed him when saying that Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll. Technically, the verdict was for sexual abuse rather than rape, though U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the case, later clarified that in terms of the public's understanding, the two were the same.
Click here to read the Beast's report in full (subscription required).
May 22, 2025
LOS ANGELES - JUL 20: Whoopi Goldberg at the "A Night With Whoopi" Event at the 57 Windward on July 20, 2024 in Venice, CA. (Photo credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock)
Hosts for one of the most-watched daytime news shows were recently asked to back off from criticizing President Donald Trump, according to a new report.
The Daily Beast reported Wednesday that both ABC News president Almin Karamehmedovic and Disney CEO Bob Iger communicated to the hosts of "The View" that their political coverage should be toned down in favor of softer, more celebrity-focused segments. The Beast cited unnamed sources who confided that the hosts didn't take kindly to the suggestion, with co-host Ana Navarro pointing out that a major sector of their audience watches them for political analysis.
The source emphasized that the request to talk less about the Trump administration was not an "edict" and that the hosts still had free rein to decide what topics to discuss for each episode. But the show's on-air talent still reportedly bristled at the suggestion.
"This is what our audience wants," one of the hosts reportedly said during the exchange with executives. "Isn’t it gonna look kind of bad if we’re all of a sudden not talking about politics?
"The View" co-host Ana Navarro reportedly had a private conversation with Iger in which she thanked the Disney CEO for allowing them editorial control. And while Iger communicated that he still supported the show and the hosts, he echoed Karamehmedovic's wishes that the show's five hosts tone down their Trump criticism.
The Beast's source said that the suggestion from network executives to focus less on political topics was "based on viewer feedback," but the outlet noted that "The View" was the #1 daytime news show for the first quarter of 2025, beating out its top competitor shows on Fox News and NBC.
ABC — which is owned by Disney — settled a defamation lawsuit that Trump filed against the network last year, agreeing to pay him $15 million (along with an additional $1 million for legal expenses) with Trump arguing that ABC journalist George Stephanopoulos defamed him when saying that Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll. Technically, the verdict was for sexual abuse rather than rape, though U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the case, later clarified that in terms of the public's understanding, the two were the same.
Click here to read the Beast's report in full (subscription required).
Sarah K. Burris
May 21, 2025
RAW STORY
People gather ahead of the "Festival of Fantasy" parade at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2022. REUTERS/Octavio Jones/File Photo
The "most magical place on Earth" is no longer welcoming Venezuelan employees who are losing their temporary legal residency in the United States.
Bloomberg reported that those working at the Florida-based Disney company were told that after President Donald Trump revoked protections they're no longer able to work for "The House of Mouse."
"The company sent an email to employees under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) on Tuesday stating they had been placed on a 30-day unpaid leave effective on May 20," the report said.
Those unable to give work authorization after 30 days will be fired, said the email shared with Bloomberg.
“As we sort out the complexities of this situation, we have placed affected employees on leave with benefits to ensure they are not in violation of the law,” the Disney email said. “We are committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all our employees and their families, and our HR and legal teams assist employees who may be navigating changing immigration policies and how they could impact them or their families.”
One employee was already turned away from work on Tuesday, they said, due to their temporary protective status.
The company said that about 45 employees are impacted out of the 360,000 total people with protected status in Florida, the report said. Approximately 60% of those are Venezuelan. The decision could affect more than half of the 600,000 Venezuelans in the United States.
The Supreme Court ruled on Friday to extend "an order that blocks the administration from using a wartime law" used to send individuals accused of being in a Venezuelan gang to a Salvadoran prison.
However, the report explained that the latest decision from the high court allows the Department of Homeland Security to cancel a TPS extension created under President Joe Biden's administration.
Congress created TPS in 1990, and there are currently 17 countries that fall under the status.
Read the full report here.
People gather ahead of the "Festival of Fantasy" parade at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2022. REUTERS/Octavio Jones/File Photo
The "most magical place on Earth" is no longer welcoming Venezuelan employees who are losing their temporary legal residency in the United States.
Bloomberg reported that those working at the Florida-based Disney company were told that after President Donald Trump revoked protections they're no longer able to work for "The House of Mouse."
"The company sent an email to employees under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) on Tuesday stating they had been placed on a 30-day unpaid leave effective on May 20," the report said.
Those unable to give work authorization after 30 days will be fired, said the email shared with Bloomberg.
“As we sort out the complexities of this situation, we have placed affected employees on leave with benefits to ensure they are not in violation of the law,” the Disney email said. “We are committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all our employees and their families, and our HR and legal teams assist employees who may be navigating changing immigration policies and how they could impact them or their families.”
One employee was already turned away from work on Tuesday, they said, due to their temporary protective status.
The company said that about 45 employees are impacted out of the 360,000 total people with protected status in Florida, the report said. Approximately 60% of those are Venezuelan. The decision could affect more than half of the 600,000 Venezuelans in the United States.
The Supreme Court ruled on Friday to extend "an order that blocks the administration from using a wartime law" used to send individuals accused of being in a Venezuelan gang to a Salvadoran prison.
However, the report explained that the latest decision from the high court allows the Department of Homeland Security to cancel a TPS extension created under President Joe Biden's administration.
Congress created TPS in 1990, and there are currently 17 countries that fall under the status.
Read the full report here.
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