With Alyssa Farah Griffin still out on maternity leave, Abby Huntsman was next in the parade of purportedly “conservative” and “Republican” guest co-hosts. On Thursday’s show, Huntsman was somehow tripped up by co-host Joy Behar who simply asked Huntsman to talk about one of her conservative values. Despite the value being dealer’s choice, Huntsman looked like a deer in the headlights and floundered around for a bit before simply settling for ‘smaller government.’
Amid yet another segment kvetching about President Trump, co-host Sunny Hostin asked Huntsman about how she saw herself fitting in the current party given she and her family were known for being moderate Republicans. “What do you see as your place in the Republican Party and what do you see the Republican Party going forward?” Hostin asked.
Huntsman began to say that she grew up with conservative values and still held them close to her heart. But when Behar interrupted to demand she express one of her deeply held conservative values, Huntsman froze (pictured above) before going on about a “healthy” “two-party system” and how Republicans needed to ditch Trump:
HUNTSMAN: That's a great question. I grew up with a lot of conservative values. Many that I still hold close to my heart.
BEHAR: Give us one.
[Laughter]
HUNTSMAN: My conservative values?
BEHAR: Yeah, give me one.
HUNTSMAN: Well, I think it depends on what you view the government's role is. And I - I think our country's only as healthy as a two-party system. I want the Democratic Party to figure out how to beat Trump again. I want the Republican Party to figure out -
“But why is that conservative?” Behar interrupted again. “I agree with that. I'm not a conservative and I agree with that.”
Abby Huntsman was brough in to guest co-host from the "conservative"/"Republican" seat. But when asked to share a conservative value she holds, Huntsman flounders and after a while just says she likes smaller government:
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) March 26, 2026
HOSTIN: What do you see as the future of the Republican… pic.twitter.com/jYiYZJV2Lu
Hostin threw Huntsman a lifeline by reminding her that conservatives liked smaller government; to which Behar suggested she was actually an independent like co-host Sara Haines. Huntsman admitted she held liberal values:
HOSTIN: You believe in smaller government.
HUNTSMAN: I believe in a smaller - But I was -- The point I'm trying to make I don't check every single box of whatever -- I don't even know what the party is today. I don't think the Trump party.
BEHAR: Maybe you're an independent like Sara.
HUNTSMAN: No. You know, I got a lot of conservative, I have a lot of libertarian values and there are probably things I'm more liberal on.
Huntsman defended her liberal values by saying no one fits into a simple box and tried appealing to audience fore back up:
I don't fit in it a box. I don't think all of us in this room fit perfectly in one box. That's what America is and that's what we need to stand up for. I don't want to be defined as something - because I do have thing that are more conservative values on certain --
Behar interrupted one more time, this time to make fun of Trump. “Before we go, can I just say Trump did win one award. A McDonald's frenchfry certification,” she jabbed.
Oof, if Sunny Hostin of all people needed to remind Huntsman of her lines, The View was not sending us the best conservatives.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
March 26, 2026
11:08:58 a.m. Eastern(…)
HOSTIN: What do you see as the future of the Republican Party? I know that you're a Republican. I know you come from a Republican family. A great family. What do you see as your place in the Republican Party and what do you see the Republican Party going forward?
HUNTSMAN: That's a great question. I grew up with a lot of conservative values. Many that I still hold close to my heart.
BEHAR: Give us one.
[Laughter]
HUNTSMAN: My conservative values?
BEHAR: Yeah, give me one.
HUNTSMAN: Well, I think it depends on what you view the government's role is. And I - I think our country's only as healthy as a two-party system. I want the Democratic Party to figure out how to beat Trump again. I want the Republican Party to figure out -
BEHAR: But why is that conservative? I agree with that. I'm not a conservative and I agree with that.
HAINES: No, she was saying all of government -
[Crosstalk]
HOSTIN: You believe in smaller government.
HUNTSMAN: I believe in a smaller - But I was -- The point I'm trying to make I don't check every single box of whatever -- I don't even know what the party is today. I don't think the Trump party.
BEHAR: Maybe you're an independent like Sara.
HUNTSMAN: No. You know, I got a lot of conservative, I have a lot of libertarian values and there are probably things I'm more liberal on. I don't fit in it a box. I don't think all of us in this room fit perfectly in one box. That's what America is and that's what we need to stand up for. I don't want to be defined as something - because I do have thing that are more conservative values on certain --
BEHAR: Before we go, can I just say Trump did win one award. A McDonald's french fry certification.
(…)
