The hosts of ABC's daytime talk show The View have united in fierce condemnation of former President Donald Trump's recent use of a derogatory, ableist slur. The controversy erupted after Trump directed the offensive term at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in a Thanksgiving Day social media post.
A Personal and Political Outcry
During Monday's broadcast, co-host Ana Navarro delivered an emotional rebuke, tying the incident directly to her personal life. Navarro revealed she has a 61-year-old brother, Daniel, who is non-verbal, autistic, and requires constant care. "The word he used to describe Tim Walz is a word that I've refused to use my whole life," she stated, explaining that her brother has severe intellectual disabilities.
Navarro, 53, recounted growing up and seeing children mimic her brother's gestures, only to be corrected by their parents. "They teach them the lesson that you don't do that with the neediest amongst us," she said. She argued that when the President uses such language, it normalises bullying and cruelty for a watching public. "He's normalising it, and they mimic it. So shame on Donald Trump for picking on the most vulnerable amongst us."
The Target and the Fallout
The target of Trump's remarks, Democratic Governor Tim Walz, addressed the issue on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. Walz, a former educator and father of two, called the President's language "damaging," "cruelness," and "meanness." He suggested Trump uses such tactics to distract from discussions about competency.
Walz's 19-year-old son, Gus, has a nonverbal learning disorder, ADHD, and an anxiety disorder, adding a deeply personal layer to the governor's criticism. "You can use that word, sure," Walz acknowledged. "You can use that language. But you shouldn't."
The political repercussions extended beyond the television studio. Co-host Sunny Hostin highlighted Indiana Republican state legislator Michael Bohacek, who announced he would now oppose a GOP-backed redistricting effort because he has a daughter with Down syndrome and was appalled by the President's slur. "Again, it is not a political issue, it's a human issue," Hostin emphasised.
A Pattern of Behaviour
Navarro also connected the current incident to Trump's past conduct, specifically referencing the 2016 campaign where he was filmed mimicking a disabled New York Times reporter. "For me, the straw that broke the camel's back with Trump was when I saw him in the 2016 campaign, making fun [of] and mimicking that disabled person," she said.
Trump has consistently denied that his 2016 gestures were intended to mock a person with a disability, instead claiming he was imitating a reporter who "groveled" after being challenged.
The co-hosts concluded by calling on the families and allies of people with disabilities to speak out, stressing that such conditions "are not Republican or Democrat. They hit all of us." The segment underscored a widening debate about the normalisation of derogatory language in political discourse and its impact on society's most vulnerable members.
