‘The View’ Guest Host Sara Eisen Sparks Tension As She Calls President Trump’s U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team Comment A “Celebratory Joke”: “We Shouldn’t Politicize Everything”

By Alex Vena

The View continued to weigh in on the saga surrounding the U.S. mens and women’s Olympic hockey teams, this time with guest host Sara Eisen, who turned some heads at the Hot Topics Table with her take.

While FBI Director Kash Patel has been under fire for celebrating with the U.S. men’s hockey team in the locker room following their win, President Donald Trump also drew backlash for telling the team that they were “going to have to bring the women’s team,” who also won gold, to the White House as well for his State of the Union Address. The women’s team ultimately declined Trump’s invitation.

Whoopi Goldberg still “didn’t understand” why Patel was even present with the men’s team.

“As the head of the FBI, they say he was there to monitor how security was going. But you know, it’s like, don’t do that. Unless you’re going to visit both [teams], because it’s just rude,” she explained. “They kicked butt. The boys kicked butt, everybody kicked butt. Unless you’re going to visit everybody, just wave.”

Sara Haines highlighted the struggles for women in sports, citing the underfunded programs and getting “very used to not having the crowds.”

“But what I’d like to point out is we were always told, ‘Put your head down and win. They will come. If you build it, they will come,” she said.

Haines also noted the “tectonic shift in sports,” highlighting an expansion in TV coverage of women’s sports and women earning 21 of the USA’s 33 medals won at this year’s Winter Olympics.

Photo: ABC

Sunny Hostin chimed in to say she does not blame the men’s hockey team “at all” for what transpired, but instead blames the president “for making that inappropriate joke and sort of pitting the two [teams ] against each other,” as well as Patel “for being in a place chugging beer instead of letting them enjoy their moment.”

“Their misogyny was showing,” she added.

However, Eisen said she “hate[s] all of this,” insisting that “this should be the least politicized story.”

“I was watching that final, the men’s final, with 26 million other people, which is one of the highest ever rated for an Olympic sport,” the CNBC reporter elaborated. “And they were screaming with that win in overtime. It was a unifying moment for America.”

While Eisen agreed Patel celebrating solely with the men’s team “was a terrible look,” she noted that the “women were invited the State of the Union,” as well.

Joy Behar was taken aback, arguing that Trump “insulted” the women’s team.

“Wait a second. Trump insulted the women, and that’s why they didn’t come,” she said.

Eisen added, “It was a celebratory joke. I don’t know. I’m not going to excuse that—”

Behar interjected, “It’s a joke?”

Eisen emphasized that “we shouldn’t politicize everything,” though Hostin felt people have to stop giving Trump “a pass” on his controversial comments.

“We gotta stop giving him a pass on jokes, on improper behavior. It’s time to pay attention,” Hostin said.

The View airs on weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.