ABC top brass is scrambling to bring in pro-Trump hosts for “The View” and other top shows, the New York Post reports.
Fearing a sharp drop-off in ratings and advertising revenue, ABC News Group President Debra Oconnell and ABC News President Alim Karamehmedovic are in “panic mode,” sources say.
ABC executives — aware of the rabid anti-Trump spewing by the hosts of “The View” and Trump’s 2024 presidential election rout — have been holding high-level meetings since he won on Nov. 5.
MSNBC, CNN and other mainstream media networks are also likely to seek a better balance of their news coverage and commentary, media watchers say.
“Everyone on ‘The View’ endorsed Kamala Harris,” the source says of ultra-liberal panelists Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines, along with Republican Trump haters Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin. “They lost. They are out of touch with America.”
“ABC bosses don’t want to alienate the pro-Trump demographic,” the source adds.
ABC, owned by Disney, was sharply criticized after ABC News moderators repeatedly questioned and “fact-checked” Donald Trump during the presidential debate against Democrat candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
In addition, Harris made an appearance on "The View," as the show's panelists repeatedly came out in support of her. Since Trump won back the presidency, the TV personalities have been very vocal about their disdain for the outcome of the race for the White House.
Hostin blamed Harris’ loss on “uneducated white women” and Goldberg said she could not bring herself to speak Trump's name.
“I think [Trump’s victory] had nothing to do with policy,” Hostin said. “I think this was a referendum on cultural resentment in this country.”
“The View is facing pressure from higher-ups,” the source says. “Viewers can expect some major changes, including bringing in new panelists that can bring in a pro-Trump perspective.”
The source did not say, however, whether one of the current hosts would be booted or if the crowded desk would add a seventh “Trumpster” seat.
ABC executives were caught “flat-footed,” a second source says.
“At the end of the day, these changes aren’t about politics,” the person continues. “They are about economics. Trump got more than half of the vote. TV networks need to find pro-Trump voices and diversify viewpoints to reflect the various perspectives of Americans.”