Barbara Walters: Prisoner of War

Why did Barbara Walters, so obviously, read her simple statement about Donald Trump from a cue card in front of her on yesterdays showing of The View? It seemed odd in this otherwise spontaneous format, and so led me to imagine what might have led up to it.

She behaved like a prisoner of war who was being coerced to say something written or dictated by someone else before the TV camera, that did not reflect her own feelings (view). It was as if she had a gun to her head and had no choice but to say the words.

But to outsmart her captors and to covertly communicate a signal to "the Donald" and the TV audience that she was not acting of her own free will, she dramatically emphasized that she was reading the statement. Overtly she was, criticizing Donald Trump, belatedly, thereby demonstrating the support for Rosie that Rosie demanded of her in their reported back stage argument.

I really don't know if any of this is true or how it came about but my speculative guess is that Rosie went to the shows producer to complain that Barbra had not supported her in a communication with Trump. Perhaps he wasn't as incensed as she, so Rosie threatened to leave the show unless Barbara took her side. Rosie is too valuable to lose so Barbara is called in and told she has to demonstrate support for Rosie. Barbara certainly would have objected but under the circumstances, to no avail. I can imagine the conversation from that point.

Barbara: "OK What do you want me to say?" She pulls out a pen and paper to write it down.

Producer and/or Rosie: "that poor pathetic man."

From their later reactions it seemed that neither Rosie nor "the Donald" picked up on her subtlety.