Joy Behar Fears Donald Trump Could Remove 'The View' and Rachel Maddow's MSNBC Show from Air

On Tuesday, The View co-host Joy Behar expressed concern that if Donald Trump were to become president again, he might take their ABC talk show, along with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow's show, off the air. Behar raised concerns about potential targeting as outspoken critics, telling Maddow, "So you said recently that you thought that you, as an outspoken critic, could be a target yourself. Some people think that sounds overdramatic, but I’m right there with you."

Behar pointed out that some might dismiss these concerns as dramatic, but she agreed with Maddow, expressing fear that Trump's vindictiveness might lead to actions such as IRS scrutiny or pressuring sponsors to remove them from airwaves, as reported on Fox News. Behar then asked how seriously they should take these threats. Maddow responded that she was more concerned about how Trump would impact America as a country and less worried about him coming after her alone. 

Maddow clarified, "I think it’s bad to have somebody saying, ‘Give me as much power as you can in this country so I can use it to go after other Americans, so I can use it to go after these subhuman internal enemies and I will destroy them." However, the MSNBC host did say that given the vast 'resources' available to them, she would likely be fine, as would someone of Behar's stature in the media landscape.

Still, Maddow did say she was concerned about detention camps being used to silence his critics, something she had previously brought up during her discussion with CNN's Oliver Darcy as well. Darcy asked the MSNBC personality, "Are you worried that you could be a target?" Maddow, in response, said that she was "worried about the country broadly if we put someone in power who is openly avowing that he plans to build camps to hold millions of people, and to 'root out' what he’s described in subhuman terms as his 'enemy from within,'" as per Salon. Maddow admitted her worry for her own well-being as well as for the safety of others in similar situations when she asked, "Do you really think he plans to stop at well-known liberals?"

Last November, Behar had dared Trump to target The View, vowing they would keep airing daily. Behar defiantly challenged, "Try it! Go ahead! Try it! We have this show every day! OK, Donald?" echoing a spirit of defiance. Moreover, during Tuesday's show, Behar likened Trump's approach to targeting critics to Richard Nixon's notorious 'enemies list,' implying that being singled out by Trump could be viewed as prestigious. She remarked that appearing on such a list was once a source of pride for some individuals.

Former President Trump has threatened to use federal agencies against President Joe Biden, judges, and others he perceives as enemies, with specific mentions of FBI raids, investigations, indictments, and potential incarceration even before the elections have taken place. Robert Maguire, CREW's (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) Vice President for Research and Data, underscored Trump's intent to weaponize government institutions against those he deems disloyal or opposed to his agenda. Despite Trump's diminished reach on Truth Social compared to previous platforms, the watchdog expressed concern over the long-term impact of Trump's threats, characterizing them as a central and sustained fixation rather than passing remarks, as per The Guardian.