‘The View’ is playing with fire.
ABC’s The View ignited a firestorm this week after co-host Joy Behar delivered a shocking lecture aimed directly at U.S. service members, warning them about “illegal orders” tied to President Donald Trump. The segment immediately drew criticism from veterans, military families, and conservative viewers who saw the remarks as yet another example of the media attacking America’s troops under Trump’s leadership.
Behar dramatically referenced the Nuremberg trials — the prosecution of Nazi war criminals after World War II — and suggested that today’s American soldiers should treat Trump-era directives with similar suspicion. She promoted a new film about the trials and insisted that “following orders is not a defense,” a statement many saw as an irresponsible comparison between U.S. troops and some of history’s worst monsters.
Her comments came after she played a clip of Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., one of the Democrats behind a recent “illegal orders” political video. Slotkin claimed the military could someday be asked to carry out strikes without congressional approval — a hypothetical scenario critics say is built entirely on partisan fearmongering.
Behar seized on Slotkin’s message, speculating about Trump ordering strikes in the Caribbean or revisiting claims that he asked about stopping violent rioters during the 2020 unrest. The goal, critics argue, was clear: cast doubt on the integrity of the U.S. military under Trump.
But co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin — who previously worked at the Pentagon — pushed back hard. Griffin warned that telling troops to second-guess their superior officers is dangerous, destabilizing, and could cripple America’s military readiness. She noted that multiple presidents, including Democrats, have taken military action without formal congressional authorization, and the military has always maintained order and discipline.
Griffin emphasized that U.S. service members already know the difference between a lawful and unlawful order — a standard drilled into every branch of the Armed Forces. Encouraging troops to challenge every decision, she argued, would create chaos inside the Pentagon.
Ana Navarro attempted to defend Behar by citing a Navy admiral who once resigned rather than follow an order he believed was improper. But Griffin countered by pointing out the long history of drone strikes and military engagements carried out without due process — actions never questioned by the media until Trump entered the conversation.
In the end, the entire segment underscored a familiar pattern: mainstream networks using their platforms to politically target Trump while undermining confidence in the U.S. military. Millions of conservative viewers saw Behar’s Nazi comparison as a line crossed, an unnecessary attack on the men and women who risk their lives for this country.
For many Americans — especially those 50 and older who grew up with deep respect for the military — ABC’s rhetoric was not just offensive. It was irresponsible.
