During an episode of ABC’s The View, co-host Whoopi Goldberg suggested that the Trump administration’s actions involving Iran may be diverting public attention away from other high-profile issues, including the Jeffrey Epstein files and the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
The panel was discussing the latest developments related to tensions with Iran, including the potential economic effects such as rising oil and gasoline prices. Goldberg argued that the rapid pace of major news events makes it difficult for the public to focus on multiple issues at once.
“It’s nutty as hell,” Goldberg said. “Every day it’s something new.” She went on to question why other topics that had previously dominated headlines were receiving less attention.
“I was thinking about it yesterday,” she said. “Why haven’t we been talking about Savannah Guthrie and what’s going on there? Why have we not been talking about the Epstein files? Because that’s still there. This is meant to get us so worked up that we are unable to see anything else.”
Co-host Sunny Hostin appeared to agree with Goldberg’s assessment, describing the situation as having a “wag the dog” dynamic—a phrase commonly used to suggest that a political event may be used to distract from other issues.
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for more than a month. Authorities believe the 84-year-old may have been abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona, in the early morning hours of February 1. The case remains under investigation.
The discussion also turned to broader comparisons between conditions in the United States and Iran. Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin pushed back against earlier remarks Goldberg had made comparing the two countries.
“In the year 2025 in the United States is nothing like if I step foot wearing this outfit into Iran right now,” Griffin said, referring to Iran’s strict laws governing women’s clothing and behavior.
Goldberg disagreed, arguing that violence and discrimination should be condemned regardless of where they occur. “Murdering someone for their difference is not good whoever does it,” she said.
Griffin reiterated that the two countries’ political and social systems are fundamentally different. Goldberg responded that experiences in the United States can vary significantly depending on a person’s background, adding, “Not if you’re Black.”
