PoliticsThe View's Sunny Hostin Believes Donald Trump Only Ran for President in 2024 'Because He Wanted to Avoid Going to Jail'
Sunny Hostin believes Donald Trump had ulterior motives going into the 2024 election.
Jan. 23 2026, Updated 3:32 p.m. ET
Sunny Hostin believes the main reason Donald Trump ran for president in the 2024 election was so he could stay out of jail.
The former prosecutor shared her opinion on the Friday, January 23, episode of The View, when the co-hosts discussed special counsel Jack Smith testifying that there's evidence the president unlawfully stored classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home.
Joy Behar Asks Why Donald Trump 'Isn't in Jail'
Joy Behar feels Donald Trump should be locked up if he broke the law.
"If he’s saying that he has the goods on the guy and that he broke the law, that he was hoarding classified documents and etcetera. Why isn’t Trump in jail, is what I wanna know," questioned Joy Behar.
"Because he won the election and 75 million people still voted for him, despite these facts," responded Alyssa Farah Griffin.
Sunny Hostin pointed out that a sitting president cannot be indicted or prosecuted.
"But if no one is above the law and even if he did win the election, why isn’t he in jail?" the comedian asked.
"The DOJ policy is such that you cannot indict or prosecute a sitting president," Hostin said.
- 'The View' Audience Applauds Sunny Hostin After She Makes Prediction About Donald Trump's Future
- 'He Should Be Convicted': Bill Barr Blasts Donald Trump for 'Crossing the Line' in Classified Documents Case
- 'If the Department of Justice Gets Its Way, He Will Die in Federal Prison': Fox News Host Has on-Air Meltdown Over Trump Indictment
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Sunny Hostin thinks Donald Trump ran for president again to avoid jail.
"When did that happen?" Behar asked in disbelief.
"It’s been DOJ policy for a long time, and I’ve said this before: I really do believe that the reason President Trump ran for the office of presidency again is because he wanted to avoid going to jail," Hostin confessed, which prompted applause from the audience.
Alyssa Farah Griffin Highlights a 'Missed Opportunity'
Alyssa Farah Griffin said the POTUS' alleged crimes should have been investigated completely before the 2024 election.
Griffin wondered why no action against Trump was taken before he began his second term as president.
"The reality of both the January 6 investigation and the documents investigation is — Sunny is absolutely right about this DOJ policy — but they knew they had a 4-year window to investigate, indict and try those crimes before the election," she pointed out. "And frankly, it was a missed opportunity, and a disservice to the public, in my view, that those were not adjudicated before the election."
'Once He Won, It Was Game Over'
The POTUS was accused of illegally storing classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
"Once he won, it was game over. Many of us were saying that at the time," the former White House staffer recalled. "I get you want to do a thorough investigation. I get these are wide-ranging; in the case of January 6 conspiracies, that can take years to dig into. But it basically put it in the public’s court to decide, you know, be judge, jury and executioner in this case."
