Whoopi Goldberg delivered a scathing critique of former President Donald Trump during a live broadcast of The View on Monday, targeting what she called his blatant hypocrisy in the wake of a violent tragedy.
Goldberg's Emotional Tribute and Blunt Accusation
The confrontation was sparked by Trump's reaction to the stabbing deaths of acclaimed director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner. Goldberg, who starred in Reiner's 1996 film Ghosts of Mississippi, began by honoring her late friend. She remembered him as an "amazing friend" and highlighted his long history of activism before turning to the former president's controversial statement.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump had suggested the Reiners were murdered because of the director's so-called "Trump Derangement Syndrome." The post drew widespread condemnation, even from some within Republican circles.
"I don't understand the man in that White House because he talks so much about Charlie Kirk and caring," Goldberg said, referencing Trump and the GOP's past criticism of those who mocked the right-wing activist's assassination. "And suddenly, this is what he puts out. Have you no shame? No shame at all? This is — Can you get any lower? I don't think so."
Trump Doubles Down and Goldberg Questions Leadership
Trump later reinforced his initial post, telling reporters he was not a fan of the "deranged" director "in any way, shape or form" due to Reiner's past criticisms of him.
Goldberg used the moment to question Trump's response to other recent tragedies, including two deadly mass shootings over the weekend. "Where is our voice as Americans?" she demanded. "Somebody's got to speak up for us. Our hearts are breaking through all of this — through Rob, through what's happened at Bondi Beach, what happened at Brown [University]. And you don't have the time to say as Americans, we hate what's happening. You ain't my president, man!"
A Correction and a Reluctant Acknowledgement
Following a commercial break, Goldberg issued a clarification. She noted that on Sunday, Trump had indeed offered his "deepest regards and respects" to the victims of an attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Australia and to those affected by the Brown University shooting.
Addressing this, Goldberg conceded, "Not what I would like to have heard from you but you did do it so, there you go." The segment underscored the intense political and personal divisions surrounding public figures' responses to violence and tragedy.
