The typically liberal panel of ABC's The View was thrown into disarray during a heated discussion on the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, after Republican co-host Ana Navarro delivered a passionate defence of the action.
An Emotional Reaction Sparks Debate
Opening the show's conversation on the dramatic capture of Maduro on January 3, Navarro, who was born in Nicaragua, revealed the news had moved her to tears of joy. She outlined the reasons she and many in the Hispanic community were celebrating the ousting of the Venezuelan leader, describing him as a "murderous corrupt sadistic son of a b****".
Her stance immediately prompted pushback from co-host Sunny Hostin, who interrupted to question the method of Maduro's extraction from his home in Caracas. "Are you ok with the way it was done?" Hostin asked.
Navigating Celebration and Critique
Navarro was quick to assert that one could hold two thoughts simultaneously. "I think both things could be true," she argued. "I think you could criticise and ask questions and have concerns about the way it was done and what this means in the future and I think you can still celebrate that this murderous corrupt sadistic son of a b**** is out of Venezuela." Her comments drew loud applause from the studio audience.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg entered the fray, questioning the mandate for the action with "who voted for this?" Navarro pointed to the diaspora communities in South Florida, stating, "The people of South Florida, the Venezuelan community, the Cuban American community, the Nicaraguan American community voted for this." She added that seeing the dictator held accountable after 25 years was a "very, very happy day."
Legal and Political Repercussions Questioned
Sunny Hostin took direct aim at the legality of the operation, calling it an illegal act by the Trump administration that "violated international law." She claimed the US government action resulted in over 100 deaths, including civilians and military personnel, in Venezuela and stressed that such intervention is not permitted "unless Congress declares war, and Congress did not do that."
Despite her celebration, Navarro also criticised former President Trump, disturbed by his comments dismissing opposition leader María Corina Machado and suggesting his motives were not purely for Venezuelan liberation.
The White House, via spokesperson Anna Kelly, issued a statement defending the action, noting that over 60 countries considered Maduro illegitimate and that the Biden administration had also posted a reward for his arrest. The statement credited only Trump with the "strength and courage" to arrest Maduro for alleged narcoterrorism and accused liberal pundits of "flip-flopping" to attack the former president.
The televised debate coincided with Maduro's hearing at the federal court in Manhattan. The Venezuelan leader, wearing a blue T-shirt and prison-issue tan pants, and his wife Cilia Flores, both pleaded not guilty. Maduro declared, "I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still President of Venezuela," while Flores identified herself as the "First Lady of Venezuela."
