Feb. 18, 2026, 8:39 p.m. ET
“The View” hosts slammed Savannah Chrisley during her week as a guest host on the show over a false claim she made about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being the Democratic Party’s presidential pick in the next election.
For the Wednesday, Feb. 18 episode of the ABC political talk series, the hot topics discussion focused on a response from the New York congresswoman to a question about whether she supports potential U.S. involvement in the Taiwan-China conflict.
At the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Feb. 13, Ocasio-Cortez, who also goes by AOC, said, “I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point, and we want to make sure that we are moving in all of our economic research and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation.”
The conflict in Asia centers on China’s view that Taiwan is a breakaway province that rightfully belongs under Beijing’s control, while Taiwan rejects this claim and argues it functions as a sovereign, democratic society.
On Dec. 29, China deployed troops, warships, fighter jets, and artillery in exercises encircling the island, simulating strikes on land and sea targets and rehearsing a blockade of Taiwan’s major ports.
AOC’s remarks were scrutinized by politicians and people of the Republican Party, including President Donald Trump, who told reporters on Air Force One on Monday, Feb. 16, that “she had no idea how to answer.”
Chrisley says AOC is the Democrats’ pick for president in 2028
On “The View,” host Joy Behar told critics of AOC’s responses to also pay attention to the on-camera mishaps Trump has made before “you start attacking AOC.”
“Mispronouncing a word is totally different than not knowing your position on Taiwan. What’s important is how you recover from something. Trump, he’s done things, and then he’s continued on with his speech, and then continued on to meet with world leaders. So, the recovery is what matters, and AOC just didn’t have a recovery,” Chrisley said.
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg added that she is more forgiving of congressmembers who fumble a question on geopolitics than of misspeaks by the leader of the free world, to which Chrisley replied, “I understand that wholeheartedly. AOC, though, is also the Democrats’ pick for the next election.”
Without hesitation, the panel slammed the claim as false, with Goldberg repeating “No, no, no! and Behar quipping, “You better tell that to (California Gov.) Gavin Newsom!”
AOC has denied plans for a presidential bid
AOC has not expressed interest in running for president of the United States. At the Munich Security Conference, she told the New York Times she attended “not because I’m running for president, not because I’ve made some kind of decision about a horse race or a candidacy,” but to “sound the alarm bells” about “runaway inequality that is fueling far-right populist movements.”
The former “Chrisley Knows Best” star is filling in for cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin during her maternity leave from Feb. 17-20, ABC confirmed.
Griffin welcomed her first child with husband Justin Griffin on Feb. 10, Goldberg announced the next morning on “The View.” ABC had previously said that several guest hosts would fill in for Griffin in the meantime.
Other hosts of “The View” include Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro.
Contributing: Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY