ABC's The View replaced Meghan McCain on Monday with CNN commentator Amanda Carpenter, who worked on Ted Cruz's presidential campaign in the last cycle. But Carpenter lined right up with Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, and Whoopi Goldberg in defending Stormy Daniels for doing a comedy skit with Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live. She even proclaimed Daniels is taking on Trump better than the Democrats. "I hand it to her, and I hand it to Michael Avenatti! "
Carpenter is promoting her new book with the CNN-friendly title Gaslighting America: Why We Love it When Trump Lies to Us. Sara Haines, who's married to a lawyer, was the only View regular who argued the SNL cameo was a bad PR/legal move.
SARA HAINES: I thought the jokes were hilarious, but being that the biggest counterpunch to her is she is looking for fame and she has said in every interview, "no, I just want to clear up my story." I found, for me, if I were advising her, I would have said, don't do this. Again, it was hysterical, but it already feeds into what everyone else said.
AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN: I'm not a fan of her industry, but man! I'm a fan of how she goes toe to toe with Donald Trump! No one who's going to take on Donald Trump should cede the media space to him. Donald Trump will call anybody that stands in his way a liar, publicity seeker, shred their credibility, and what she does, she shows the advice I give in my book is that you have to own your narrative. You have to know who you are and be able to be yourself in the spotlight. Because isn't it worth it? Like, to take on Donald Trump? He's going to do that to everybody.
JOY BEHAR: My experience with her is that's exactly what she does. When she came on here, she was very credible.
SUNNY HOSTIN: I thought so, too.
BEHAR: And she was a pretty straightforward and honest lady. And so she's having a little fun, and I don't think it hurts her at all.
HAINES: It makes it tougher to defend her. When you have met her, she seemed very credible to me. It's hard when you try to tell someone that, and they're, like, "and there she was on SNL." It just makes it difficult.
Naturally, Behar would come to Stormy's defense, since she proclaims almost daily that she thinks (and hopes) that the porn star will bring down Trump's presidency.
The View producers were ready with embarrassing photographs of Donald Trump on SNL in a “chicken suit” and Rudy Giuliani in drag. Hostin yelled "Everybody appears on SNL!"
Carpenter said "Listen, she's doing a better job, I think, of taking on Donald Trump than anybody in the Democratic Party. I hand it to her! And I hand it to Michael Avenatti! They should take some lessons!"
