Joy Behar is not holding back on her criticism of New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart for backing Donald Trump.
The co-host of The View condemned Dart, 23, during Tuesday’s episode while discussing how the NFL newbie showed his support for the president by introducing him on stage Friday at a New York rally.
“For somebody to back a guy like Trump whose history, and discrimination, and racism goes back to housing discrimination in the seventies and DEI attacks and posting pictures of the Obamas as apes,” Behar, 83, said.
She then pointed out that more than half of the football player’s colleagues in the NFL are Black, saying, “That is just the definition of stupidity and racist in my opinion.” She later added: “Maybe he needs a little extra padding.”
While Behar laid out her issues with Dart supporting Trump, her fellow panelists Whoopi Goldberg and Alyssa Farah Griffin argued that Dart was entitled to his opinion as an American.
open image in gallery
open image in galleryThe athlete, who was drafted last year and finished his rookie season with the Giants in the fall, had not gone public about being MAGA warrior until he introduced Trump at the rally Friday, which was a campaign event on behalf of Republican representative Mike Lawler in Suffern, New York.
After leading the crowd in a Giants chant, Dart said on stage: “What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here.” He said again that he was “grateful” and “honored” before introducing Trump, who greeted the player with a handshake.
Trump took the stage and heaped praise onto the NFL player, calling him a “future Hall of Fame-er” and a “beautiful guy” with “legs like tree trunks.” The president then continued to praise Dart while beginning a rant against transgender athletes.
“I’m looking at Jaxson. I’d like to know, is there any woman in the audience that thinks they can tackle that guy?” Trump said. “Because I’d like to meet you. I’d like to shake your hand. I don’t know. Jaxson, you think you can play against women okay?”
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open image in galleryHe went on to joke, “Don’t get involved Jaxson. Don’t answer that question.”
Behar was not the only person who took issue with Dart hitching himself to Trump’s wagon. His teammate, Abdul Carter, wrote on X that he initially thought the video of the rally interaction was AI.
“What we doing man?” he asked. Carter, who was also a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is a linebacker for the Giants.
Dart did not return The Independent’s request for comment on the backlash against him.