A live interview on The View turned tense when the show’s co-hosts challenged Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders over immigration policy and the Republican Party’s recent midterm losses.
Huckabee Sanders joined the Hot Topics table following last week’s midterm elections to promote her new book, Unapologetic, and discuss major policies under President Donald Trump’s administration. While she described the election as a “tough night for Republicans,” she noted that she had been re-elected in Arkansas.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/the-view-1-ab2580c986a745028d79c98e33e4763a.jpg)
Ana Navarro, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Sunny Hostin on ‘The View’.Credit:
ABC(3)
The conversation quickly shifted to immigration, where the former White House press secretary defended Trump’s focus on border security.
Huckabee Sanders said Trump had been right to secure the border and place an intense focus on violent criminals who entered the country illegally. But Ana Navarro immediately interrupted to challenge her remarks.
“I have to stop you there,” Navarro said, arguing that the majority of people being detained and deported did not have violent criminal records.
Huckabee Sanders pushed back, insisting that Navarro was misrepresenting her comments.
“No, you’re not going to twist my words around,” she said, clarifying that she had argued Trump was right to focus on violent criminals.
She added that she believed the president had shown some willingness to reflect on the immigration crackdown, acknowledging that there were certain people who should not have been targeted.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/the-view-2-fd7be08b77664c29a90831405b530a72.jpg)
‘The View’ cohosts interview Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
ABC
Sunny Hostin Pushes Back
The discussion grew more heated when Sunny Hostin challenged Huckabee Sanders over deportations, citing her belief that many of those affected had committed no criminal offenses.
Huckabee Sanders maintained that border security was essential to fixing the wider immigration system.
“You cannot fix the system until you can secure the border,” she said, adding that she hoped Democrats would take Trump’s recent comments seriously and work toward future immigration reform.
Another disagreement followed over the language used to describe undocumented immigrants.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/the-view-3-ee8ebab3fa1c4898a02da22fe52abf4d.jpg)
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Sunny Hostin on ‘The View’.
ABC
Hostin argued that “people aren’t illegal, they’re undocumented.” Huckabee Sanders disagreed, responding that breaking the law was, by definition, illegal.
Hostin refused to back down.
“People are not illegal,” she replied. “They may commit crimes, but they’re not illegal.”
As Hostin continued speaking, Huckabee Sanders could be heard saying that her comments were “factually incorrect.” Hostin immediately fired back, insisting that they were not.
A Difficult Night for Republicans

Earlier in the interview, Huckabee Sanders reflected on the Republican Party’s disappointing midterm results, calling it a “tough night for Republicans.”
She suggested that the party had focused on issues that directly affected Americans’ daily lives, while also pointing out that she had secured re-election in Arkansas.
Her appearance marked the latest in a growing list of conservative and right-wing guests to appear on The View. Recent guests have included former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Vice President JD Vance and Sen. Thom Tillis, while conservative figures such as Carly Fiorina, Savannah Chrisley and former co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck have also appeared as guest co-hosts.
Despite the sharp disagreements during the interview, the exchange highlighted the kind of politically charged conversations that continue to make The View one of daytime television’s most talked-about shows.
The View airs weekdays on ABC.