Whoopi Goldberg Stuns The View by Defending Trump

In a moment that may have left The View’s liberal audience doing a double take, Whoopi Goldberg delivered a rare defense of President Donald Trump on Monday — and it was all over basketball.

Goldberg, who often refuses to say Trump’s name on the show and instead calls him “you-know-who,” shocked viewers when she pushed back against critics demanding that Trump stay away from Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

The president’s planned high-security visit to watch the New York Knicks had already sparked complaints from media personalities and commentators, who warned his appearance could create chaos in Manhattan and possibly even “jinx” the team.

But Goldberg wasn’t buying it.

After playing a clip of Stephen A. Smith and Donny Deutsch urging both Trump and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip the game, Goldberg jumped in with a defense that likely surprised many viewers.

“I’m sorry. Trump and Mayor Mamdani are Knicks fans and have been. They’re New Yorkers,” Goldberg said.

Then she made it clear that political drama should not override lifelong loyalty to a hometown team.

“And you can’t — there’s nothing either one of them can do to change what’s happening in this city for this team,” she added.

Sunny Hostin immediately wondered whether Trump’s presence could curse the Knicks.

“Can they jinx us?” Hostin asked.

Goldberg brushed off the superstition and insisted the team was locked in.

“I don’t think anything can jinx anything,” she said. “I think these guys are on a mission!”

Then Goldberg went even further, comparing the Knicks to the Blues Brothers.

“They’re like the Blues Brothers: They’re on a mission from God!” she said, drawing applause from the studio audience.

Goldberg said the Knicks have been winning, fighting, and doing what they need to do — and that fans should be focused on supporting the team, not obsessing over whether Trump is sitting in a luxury box.

“You could be buck naked up in the box, and ain’t nobody paying attention!” Goldberg exclaimed.

Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump White House official and one of the show’s Republican voices, said she would advise Trump not to go because if the Knicks lost, he would be blamed.

“If I were advising him, I would be like, ‘Do not go,’ because if they lose tonight, everybody is going to blame Trump!” Griffin said.

“The jinx! The jinx!” Hostin chimed in.

Ana Navarro then took a shot at Trump, arguing that he may have been a New Yorker once, but is now a Floridian because New York “hates him” and because he allegedly left over taxes.

But even that didn’t move Goldberg.

She defended the idea that a person can move away and still remain loyal to the team they grew up loving.

“I was a Californian! I was from California,” Goldberg said. “I went to the Lakers games. I have always been, at my core — because I’m from here — I have always been a Knicks fan. And when you have always been a Knicks fan, it doesn’t matter where you live!”

The panel also discussed the security concerns surrounding a sitting president attending a major sporting event at Madison Square Garden, one of the busiest venues in the country.

But Goldberg said that if she had Trump’s level of fame and security concerns, she would still go.

“If I was as big as them, I would still be going,” she said.

Sara Haines quickly jumped in, telling Goldberg, “You’re Whoopi Goldberg! You are bigger!”

Goldberg predicted Trump would likely be placed far above the crowd and said fans should stop worrying about politics and start sending good energy toward the Knicks.

“They’re going to put him up there,” Goldberg said, pointing toward the rafters. “And all we need to concentrate on is putting our energy, and good energy, towards them, towards the Knicks. That’s what this is about.”

For once, The View’s anti-Trump reflex hit a speed bump — and it came from Whoopi Goldberg herself.

In today’s political climate, where nearly every move Trump makes is instantly attacked, Goldberg’s defense was unusual, unexpected, and surprisingly simple: the man is a Knicks fan, and fans show up.