Alina Habba, former counselor to Donald Trump, was faced with several tense moments during her guest appearance on The View Wednesday.
The attorney, 42, was invited to join ABC’s daytime talk show panel to speak about her experience in the crowd of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner during the shooting Saturday.
However, the discussion quickly devolved into cutting remarks and loaded questions as Habba argued with co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Joy Behar over Trump’s current handling of the Department of Justice — leading to one particularly awkward moment in the middle of her grilling after Behar asked if Habba wants to be considered for Pam Bondi’s old position as attorney general.
“Let me say this, I have never had a conversation with the president or anybody in the administration to become the attorney general,” Habba said. “I had the pleasure of serving as the U.S. attorney, and during that time, Camden had their first murder-free summer in 50 years, and I serve the people of New Jersey as well. I serve at the pleasure of the president.”
She added, “I serve at the pleasure of the president. I think it is the greatest honor to serve your country in any capacity.”
Hostin then jumped in and challenged: “Do you think you’re qualified to be the attorney general?”
However, before she could answer, moderator Whoopi Goldberg jumped in to interrupt the women and call a time-out for a commercial break. She offered Habba the chance to answer the question before the ads, but she declined.
“Whoopi just went to break at the worst possible moment,” one viewer wrote on X. “Sunni asked Alina Habba if she thought she was qualified to be AG.”
Another person reacted: “When Sunny asked [Alina Habba] if she thinks she’s qualified to be the Attorney General, I believe ol’gurl’s soul left her body.”
Someone else wrote, “Sunny is not playing with her and the questions yessss.”
Habba did not immediately return The Independent’s request for comment.
It was not the first time in the episode that Hostin went toe to toe with Habba, who resigned as the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey in December after federal judges determined she was unlawfully serving in the position.
Hostin pushed back earlier in the show when Habba defended Trump’s Justice Department’s recent indictment against former FBI director James Comey over a 2025 social media post that showed seashells laid out on the beach to display the numbers “86 47.”
The picture sparked backlash because “86” is a restaurant term for taking something off the menu, and Trump is the 47th President of the United States, leading MAGA defenders to accuse Comey of calling to oust Trump.
When Hostin asked Habba what she thought 86 meant, Habba responded: “To kill the president, to get rid of the president. That’s what it means. By the way, his words, not mine.”
Hostin then interrupted her to say: “But the dictionary disagrees with you on that.”
Habba fired back, “Well, he’s the FBI director who knows better.”
Following another heated discussion about immigration at the end of the show, Goldberg said that there was not enough time and suggested that Habba should come back on the show. She agreed.