Whoopi Goldberg made an on-air joke about the hypothetical murder of President-elect Donald Trump at the hands of the incoming vice president and the richest man on the planet.
Her off-color remark on The View Thursday framed Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk as the conspiring, would-be culprits during a conversation about Musk's growing influence.
Late last month, Goldberg, 69, insinuated Musk was Trump's 'real' vice president, claiming to her fellow hosts that his new position within the looming administration and decision-making power effectively make him the second-in-command.
'Who is in charge? Because I've been saying it for a while. I've been saying it - I think Elon Musk believes he's president. I do,' Goldberg said on the talk show.
'Hey, you know who [Trump] - stay away from the stairways,' she continued
'Because, you know, people put their leg out to trip you going down the stairs. Watch out.'
The statement immediately drew a mix of laughter and applause from the live studio audience, and saw Goldberg again avoiding to say the president-elect's name.
The conversation persisted up until the commercial break, with Musk remaining the main subject.
Whoopi Goldberg made an on-air joke about the hypothetical murder of President-elect Donald Trump at the hands of the incoming vice president and the richest man on the planet
The off-color remark framed Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk as the conspiring, would-be culprits, during a conversation surrounding Musk's growing influence
After returning from break, Goldberg quickly attempted some damage control.
'I need to clean something up,' Goldberg, who has long been critical of Trump, said when the show returned.
'My cat lays in wait for me on my stairs all the time.
'That's what I was referring to,' she continued.
'I was thinking of that. I wasn't trying to indicate that they were actually standing there with their legs out hoping he would trip.'
After a brief beat, co-host Sunny Hostin jumped in seeking to further clarify her co-host's comments.
'Nobody wants anything done to the president,' she said, as the five-woman panel looked eager to move past the remarks.
Goldberg then puzzlingly proclaimed: 'It was light-hearted and it's the holidays, c'mon! My goodness.'
!['Who is in charge? Because I've been saying it for a while. I've been saying it - I think Elon Musk believes he's president. I do,' Goldberg said. 'Hey, you know who [Trump] - stay away from the stairways'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/19/20/93331857-14211487-_Who_is_in_charge_Because_I_ve_been_saying_it_for_a_while_I_ve_b-a-25_1734641876789.jpg)
'Who is in charge? Because I've been saying it for a while. I've been saying it - I think Elon Musk believes he's president. I do,' Goldberg said. 'Hey, you know who [Trump] - stay away from the stairways'
'Because, you know, people put their leg out to trip you going down the stairs. Watch out,' Goldberg said, paving the way for some frantic damage control from the panelists
After a brief beat, co-host Sunny Hostin jumped in seeking to further clarify her co-host's comments
A more serious Hostin added: 'You did not mean that anybody should hurt the president.'
'No,' Goldberg said, before setting out on explaining her controversial comments - by bringing up her cat for a second time.
'The thing about this show, there's no way not to step in poo,' the 17-year View veteran said. 'There's no way to do it. There's no way not to do it. I got a cat who does it to me everyday - and that's what sparked it.'
As this was happening, lawmakers on the House floor were reportedly left fuming over Musk exerting his budding influence, after the crisis surrounding the bipartisan spending bill was escalated the day before by Trump himself.
Issuing his own barbs about the deal, Trump called it 'a betrayal of our country.'
Musk, meanwhile, falsely claimed that the deal Trump said favors Democrats contained new aid for Ukraine and $3 billion in funds for a new stadium in Washington.
Meanwhile, the likelihood of a government shutdown that the spending bill sought to avert has intensified, leading to Goldberg's comments.
It also earned some remarks from Sen. Bernie Sanders as well, with the Vermont politician sarcastically referring to Musk as the president.
Late last month, Goldberg, 69, insinuated Musk was Trump's 'real' vice president, claiming to her fellow panelists that his new position within the looming administration and decision-making power effectively makes him the real second-in-command.
Those comments came up during a discussion about the flood of liberals leaving Musk's X, and came up again this week during talks about a bipartisan deal to avoid a partial government shutdown - with Vance seemingly a casualty
House Speaker Mike Johnson is the one who penned the still-in-limbo spending bill - and Trump's lack of support could indicate the conservative cutting ties as the congressman in a few weeks is up for reelection
'Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government,' Sanders wrote on X.
'The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesn't like it. Will Republicans kiss the ring? Billionaires must not be allowed to run our government.'
House Speaker Mike Johnson, meanwhile, is the one who penned the bill - and Trump's lack of support could indicate the conservative cutting ties as the congressman in a few weeks is up for reelection.
He and other House Republicans are now scrambling to revise the 1,547-page plan to extend government funding to March ahead of Friday's deadline following pushback over provisions in the measure.
The bill includes additional disaster spending for communities hurt by Hurricane Helene but also includes pay raises for members of Congress and other unrelated spending priorities.
