Several of the hosts from The View have accused Secretary of War Pete Hegseth of being “guilty” of war crimes.
Sunny Hostin attempted to frighten service members by saying they could be court-martialed and prosecuted if they followed illegal orders.
Clueless ‘The View’ hosts accuses Pete Hegseth of being ‘guilty’ of war crimes
Whoopi Goldberg goes on to say “the buck stops” with Hegseth agreeing that current strikes on Venezuela drug boats are a “distraction”.
In the last cabinet meeting of the year, Hegseth defended the drug boat strikes.
The exchange didn’t end there. What began as a heated segment quickly spiraled into one of the most combative moments The View has seen all year. As the panel doubled down on their accusations, the audience fell into a tense silence, sensing that the discussion had veered far beyond daytime chatter and into full-blown political warfare.
Ana Navarro leaned forward, eyebrows raised, accusing Hegseth of “weaponizing patriotism” to justify what she called “reckless overseas theatrics.” She argued that the strikes on Venezuelan drug boats were being framed as decisive action when, in her words, “they’re really just another shiny object meant to distract from failures at home.”
Hegseth, who appeared live via video feed, held firm. “This administration will not apologize for protecting Americans,” he said, his voice clipped but steady. “Drug cartels are operating with total impunity. If you think defending the homeland is a distraction, then you’re living on a different planet.”
The panel erupted again. Sara Haines attempted to calm things down, but even she couldn’t resist pushing Hegseth on the timing of the operations. “People are asking why now,” she said. “Why this sudden escalation during a politically vulnerable moment?” Her question hung in the air—a quiet accusation wrapped in a journalist’s politeness.
Whoopi Goldberg, never one to hold back, delivered the moment that would later go viral. “The buck stops with you,” she told Hegseth bluntly. “And if you think the American public can’t see through this… you’re wrong.” Her tone was half warning, half disappointment, as though she were speaking not to a cabinet secretary but to a wayward student.
Hegseth pushed back harder this time. “What I’m seeing,” he said, “are people who have never served, never worn the uniform, lecturing military leaders about what constitutes lawful action. You can disagree with strategy. But don’t smear our troops by throwing around phrases like ‘war crimes’ just to score points on TV.”
Sunny Hostin immediately seized on that. “This isn’t about smearing troops,” she said sharply. “This is about accountability. International law exists for a reason. If officials authorize illegal strikes—yes, they can be investigated. That’s not an attack. That’s the rule of law.”
Viewers across the country lit up social media within seconds. Some accused The View hosts of crossing a line into reckless political theater. Others rallied behind them, praising their “courage” in confronting a powerful figure. Clips gained millions of views before the segment was even over. By evening, #HegsethVsTheView was the number one trending topic on X.
Back at the White House’s final cabinet meeting of the year, insiders say the tension was palpable. Hegseth reportedly delivered a firm, unapologetic defense of the drug boat operations, insisting the strikes were lawful, strategic, and essential to curbing the flow of narcotics into the United States. Several cabinet members were said to be split—some backing him fully, others privately concerned about escalating conflict in the region.
But one thing was undeniable: The View had detonated a political grenade on live television, and the blast radius would be felt for days. Whether it would damage Hegseth—or unintentionally boost his profile—remained to be seen. One aide summed it up best: “You don’t walk into a fight with The View unless you’re ready for fallout.”
And this fallout was only just beginning.