The usually liberal-leaning panel of ABC's The View was thrown into disarray during a heated segment discussing the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, after Republican co-host Ana Navarro broke ranks to applaud the action.
A Stunning Defence Amid Liberal Criticism
The talk show opened its episode on January 3 by addressing the astonishing extraction of Maduro and his wife from their home in Caracas. Ana Navarro, a Nicaraguan-born Republican and vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, revealed she had shed tears of joy at the news. She passionately listed reasons why she and many in the Hispanic community were celebrating the ousting of the dictator.
"For us, this is a very, very happy day when we see a dictator who has been part of oppressing and abusing the Venezuelan people for 25 years," Navarro stated. "When we see him in handcuffs and held to some sort of accountability, it brought me to tears. It brought me great joy."
Clash Over Method and International Law
Navarro's celebration was swiftly challenged by co-host Sunny Hostin, who interrupted to ask, "Are you ok with the way it was done?" Navarro was quick to argue that one could simultaneously celebrate the result and question the method. "I think both things could be true," she said. "I think you could criticise and ask questions and have concerns about the way it was done... and I think you can still celebrate that this murderous, corrupt, sadistic son of a b**** is out of Venezuela."
The audience erupted in applause at her remarks. Hostin, however, took direct aim at the operation's legality, calling it illegal for the Trump administration to extract Maduro because it "violated international law." She claimed, "The US government killed over 100 people, including civilians and military, in Venezuela during this kidnapping and capture, and international law doesn't allow it unless Congress declares war, and Congress did not do that."
Broader Political Reactions and Courtroom Drama
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg entered the fray, questioning the mandate behind the action by asking, "who voted for this?" Navarro pointed to the support from the South Florida, Venezuelan, Cuban American, and Nicaraguan American communities. Despite her support for Maduro's arrest, Navarro also criticised Trump for disparaging Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
The White House weighed in, with spokesperson Anna Kelly telling Entertainment Weekly that over 60 countries considered Maduro illegitimate and noted the Biden administration had also posted a reward for his arrest. However, she credited only Trump with having "the strength and courage" to execute the arrest for alleged narcoterrorism.
The televised debate coincided with Maduro's hearing at federal court in Manhattan. The Venezuelan leader, dressed in a blue T-shirt and prison-issue pants, pleaded not guilty, declaring, "I am innocent... I am still President of Venezuela." His wife, Cilia Flores, also pleaded not guilty, identifying herself as the "First Lady of Venezuela."
The segment on The View laid bare the complex and often contentious intersection of international justice, foreign policy, and diaspora politics, proving that even on a typically unified panel, some events are too divisive for consensus.
