‘The View’ Host Joy Behar Says She ‘Liked’ Donald Trump Before His Presidency

The View‘s Joy Behar talked about her conflicting feelings on President Donald Trump during an appearance on MSNBC‘s The Beat with Ari Melber this week.

Behar visited the cable news show on Friday, where she reflected on Trump as a public figure before the presidency. She admitted that she actually “liked” Trump years ago, as an affable talk show guest, an on-screen ham and an icon of New York City.

“Who knew he was such a psycho?” Behar said in the interview. “I liked the guy in a way. It was like, oh, he’s a New York character.”

To Behar, Trump has long been seen as a cartoonish “con man,” and she felt that many people — particularly New Yorkers — understood that. She speculated that such an image may have been mistranslated in mass media.

“We knew him. We get it,” she told Melber. “Just like Michael Bloomberg said, ‘I know a con man when I see one.’ He’s a con man. New Yorkers are hip to it. The rest of the country didn’t know him the way we do.”

Behar said that even after President Trump was elected, she held out hope that he would not be as bad as people thought.

“He’s worse,” she said grimly. “I thought he was also a secret Democrat, which he shows us he’s not. He’s not a Republican or a Democrat, he’s just an anarchist, as far as I’m concerned.”

During the appearance, Behar reminded Melber that she had been invited to one of President Trump’s weddings. She also revisited footage of their on-screen appearances together, going all the way back to 2003.

Behar joined Melber to discuss her role as a pundit and a commentator in today’s news cycle, where The View wields quite a bit of influence. Melber credited her for having a role in this year’s “blue wave,” making people in her demographic consider their civic duty more seriously.

Behar frequently clashes with her co-hosts on the The View, especially Meghan McCain. She thrives on frank discussion and debate, but she takes her punchlines where she can get them as well, too.

Melber’s show focused heavily on the theories that President Trump will be facing indictments, criminal charges or worse in the coming months. He pointed to the Democratic party’s new control of the House of Representatives, and the lines of investigation that are now possible.

He also implied that the House is now in a position to do something with the findings of Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation when they are finally presented.