Overview
- The White House, which issued a statement Wednesday, called Joy Behar a “talentless hack” and defended Operation Epic Fury as a success that cut Iranian retaliatory attacks by 90 percent.
- Behar’s comment came during a segment that played President Trump’s claim Iran gave the U.S. a “very big present,” after which she joked, “What’s the gift, besides herpes?” and pressed what the military had actually achieved.
- Following Tuesday’s persistent questioning by Sunny Hostin, guest co-host Abby Huntsman conceded on air that she does not think Pete Hegseth is qualified to serve as Defense Secretary, with Sara Haines separately saying the same.
- The panel also revisited Trump’s praise that Hegseth was the first to urge strikes on Iran and a clip of Hegseth saying “hand on that throttle” while miming the motion, which Behar highlighted for its double entendre.
- Coverage split along familiar lines, with Fox News elevating the White House’s success claims and left-leaning outlets like Entertainment Weekly and TheWrap centering the on-air challenges to Hegseth and the joke that prompted the rebuke.