Despite CNN being forced to walk back their fake news over the weekend where they suggested the U.S. military and the Trump administration didn’t have a plan to protect the Strait of Hormuz, ABC News program The View still pushed it during their Monday episode. The news show then went on to encourage people to vote for Democrats in the November midterms.
Chronically aggrieved co-host Sunny Hostin pushed the false claim there was no plan for dealing with Iran’s efforts to close the Strait, then suggested the national average price of gas was $8-per-gallon because of it:
I can't believe that the president didn't know that Iran's response to this would be to close the Strait of Hormuz and not allow tankers in. And now our energy prices are going off the rails, $8 for gas.
Hostin knew perfectly well that $8 was the price in California and California alone. She actually complained about it last week, blaming Trump and not the state’s liberal policies.
Failed 2016 presidential candidate and business woman, Carly Fiorina was the “Republican” filling in this week for Alyssa Farah Griffin, who’s out on maternity leave.
Sunny Hostin and Carly Fiorina push CNN's BIG LIE that the administration didn't think Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz and claims the average price of gas in the U.S. $8 (no fact check):
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) March 16, 2026
HOSTIN: Carly made a good point at the break, we were talking by break and I said I… pic.twitter.com/FWbiaRVlZQ
According to Fiorina, Trump had “clearly” ignored his advisors and had thrown out any plan they had to deal with the challenges Iran presented in the Strait:
FIORINA: He was advised, I think, by Dan Caine -
HOSTIN: Who is the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
FIORINA: Absolutely. Anyone who knows history would know of course they're going to close the Straits of Hormuz. You can agree with his decision that something had to be done about Iran, but disagree with the decision-making process. It did not consider all the risks -
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: No!
FIORINA: - and the contingencies. Clearly. It overrode advice. Clearly. It did not build support and understanding. So now our allies are wondering whether they're going to help us clear the Strait of Hormuz.
“It didn't seem to have an exit plan,” co-host Sara Haines huffed, seemingly thinking the whole thing would be over in days.
Talk about unrealistic expectations.
“But Iran was going to engage in asymmetric warfare. This is existential to them,” Fiorina continued. “And so, they will use every weapon they have. All predictable.”
ABC News encourages people to vote against Republicans in November. pic.twitter.com/hrakv3a457
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) March 16, 2026
Just before going to a commercial, ABC News moderator Whoopi Goldberg used the conversation as an opportunity to lobby the audience to vote for Democrats on Election Day: “Oh, the things we could bring up that if somebody else had done it what would have happened, but do you know what, you know what to do on Election Day.”
That’s something that might interest the FCC, which had already had The View under the microscope.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
March 16, 2026
11:29:10 a.m. Eastern(…)
SUNNY HOSTIN: Carly made a good point at the break, we were talking by break and I said I can't believe that the president didn't know that Iran's response to this would be to close the Strait of Hormuz and not allow tankers in. And now our energy prices are going off the rails, $8 for gas. And your response was --
CARLY FIORINA: He was advised, I think, by Dan Caine -
HOSTIN: Who is the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
FIORINA: Absolutely. Anyone who knows history would know of course they're going to close the Straits of Hormuz. You can agree with his decision that something had to be done about Iran, but disagree with the decision-making process. It did not consider all the risks -
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: No!
FIORINA: - and the contingencies. Clearly. It overrode advice. Clearly. It did not build support and understanding. So now our allies are wondering whether they're going to help us clear the Strait of Hormuz.
SARA HAINES: It didn't seem to have an exit plan.
FIORINA: But Iran was going to engage in asymmetric warfare. This is existential to them.
HOSTIN: Right.
FIORINA: And so, they will use every weapon they have. All predictable.
ANA NAVARRO: But I can tell you this 100 percent sure, if Biden or Obama had done this with a fundraising email using a photo of dignified transfer Republicans would have set them on fire.
HOSTIN: Yeah.
[Applause]
GOLDBERG: Yeah. Oh, the things we could bring up that if somebody else had done it what would have happened, but do you know what, you know what to do on Election Day. You know what -- this is -- we will be right back.
