The hosts of “The View” have been longtime critics of Donald Trump, but on Wednesday morning they said they were still “optimistic” about the country in his second term — albeit “deeply troubled.”

At the start of the first episode after the election, the ABC presenters danced onto the stage in apparent good spirits. Host Whoopi Goldberg even joked with the table and audience, asking if anyone did anything interesting yesterday.

Of course, she quickly dropped the joke and went straight to her co-hosts to get their reactions to the re-election of a convicted felon. First up was Joy Behar, who was probably the most stressed out of the group before the election, but still unexpectedly hopeful.

“My conclusion is that the system worked. We live in a democracy. People spoke. That’s what people wanted,” she said. “I vehemently disagree with the Americans’ decision, but I am very, very hopeful that we have a democratic system in this country. We should appreciate it.”

Behar added that she’s been through elections that didn’t turn out the way she’d previously hoped – namely Richard Nixon’s – and she believes people can still fight.

“It was very difficult, but boy oh boy do we have a country if we can keep it,” she said.

Hosts Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin agreed, praising everyone who voted in the first place and pointing out that Democrats are accepting their defeat rather than calling the election rigged, as Trump still claims in 2020, despite the opposite is proven.

“I’m still so optimistic because I feel arm in arm with so many people who agree with me,” Haines explained. “I won’t stop marching.”

For their part, hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro were “deeply disturbed” by the results, as Hostin put it. Hostin remains concerned about what Trump’s second term will look like after he replaces all allies who tried to rein him in.

Nevertheless, Navarro reiterated the idea of ​​accepting the results.

“Unlike Donald Trump and his supporters, I recognize today that he won,” she said. “I hope the best for our country. And I commit to our LGBTQ people, our immigrants, our elders, our young girls, our women, that we will not stop fighting.”

“The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.

The post “The View” hosts are surprisingly “optimistic” after Trump’s victory: “Boy oh boy, do we have a country if we can keep it?” | The video first appeared on TheWrap.