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

To kick off the first episode after the election, the ABC presenters came on stage dancing, seemingly in good spirits. Moderator 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 for their reactions to the re-election of a convicted felon. The first was Joy Behar, who was perhaps the most stressed of the group before the election, yet unexpectedly hopeful.

“My conclusion is that the system worked. We live in a democracy. People spoke. This is what people wanted,” she says. “I strongly disagree with the decision that the Americans have made, but I am very hopeful that we have a democratic system in this country. We have to appreciate it.”

Behar added that she’s seen an election that didn’t go as she previously hoped — namely Richard Nixon’s — and she believes people can still fight.

“It’s been very difficult, but boy, oh boy, what a country we have, if we can keep it,” she said.

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

“I still feel so optimistic because I feel arm in arm with so many people who agree with me,” Haines explains. “I’m not going to stop marching.”

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

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

“Today, unlike Donald Trump and his followers, I recognize that he won,” she said. “I hope the best for our country. And I promise to our LGBTQ, to our immigrants, to our elders, to our young girls, to the women, that we will not stop fighting.”

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

‘The View’ post is surprisingly ‘optimistic’ after Trump’s victory: ‘Boy, oh boy, do we have a country, if we can keep it’ | Video first appeared on TheWrap.