Joy Behar praises JD Vance after ‘The View’ interview: ‘I don’t think he’s a bad guy’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Joy Behar is known for being one of Donald Trump's harshest critics on daytime television, which is why her latest comments about Vice President JD Vance have caught many viewers by surprise.

Just one day after Vance appeared on 'The View' on Tuesday, June 16, Behar revealed that she had privately encouraged him to consider a future presidential run.

Speaking on the show's companion podcast, 'Behind the Table', the longtime co-host admitted that while she disagrees with much of the administration's agenda, she does not view Vance as a bad person and even believes he could make for an interesting presidential candidate.

Joy Behar explains why she encouraged JD Vance to run for president

During a conversation with 'The View' executive producer Brian Teta, Behar was reminded of a comment she made to Vance during a commercial break.

“I’m getting a note here. You told him during the break that he should run for president because he had a good vibe,” Teta said.

Behar did not back away from the remark.

“I think that — even though for a Republican, mind you. I’m not a Republican. I think possibly I voted for Michael Bloomberg once for mayor, who was supposedly,” she said while discussing her political views.

The veteran television personality made it clear that she still identifies more closely with Democrats than Republicans.

However, she suggested that she is willing to judge politicians as individuals rather than simply by party affiliation.

Behar explained that she does not necessarily object to Republicans holding local office but feels differently when it comes to national politics.

“I don’t mind a Republican on the city level because it needs a little discipline, but on the national level, I want somebody with a good heart, and those are more in the Democratic Party in my opinion,” she said.

Joy Behar says JD Vance and Gavin Newsom would make an interesting matchup

While discussing Vance's future political prospects, Behar floated a hypothetical matchup that she believes could be compelling to watch.

“Truthfully, as I said to you at the beginning of this conversation, I don’t think that he’s a bad guy,” she said.

“So if he runs against, say, Gavin Newsom, that would be an interesting debate to see those two because they’re both intelligent.”

The comment stood out because Behar has frequently criticized both the Trump administration and many of its top officials.

Yet after sitting across from Vance during his appearance on the show, she appeared willing to separate her disagreements with his policies from her assessment of him personally.

The conversation later turned to whether President Donald Trump might be unhappy seeing Vance receive positive remarks from hosts who are often critical of the administration.

Behar joked that Trump could be feeling “jealous” after seeing how well the vice president got along with the panel during portions of the interview.

Joy Behar reveals where she still disagrees with JD Vance

Despite her positive remarks, Behar made it clear that she still has significant disagreements with Vance.

One issue in particular continued to bother her after the interview.

She pushed back against Vance's explanation for his past criticism of Trump before eventually joining his administration.

“Don’t give me that. That’s where I draw the line on the guy,” Behar said.

“Don’t blame me for the fact — you went to Yale law school, you can’t read between the lines? You can’t watch something and discern what’s going on? Come on.”

JD Vance responds to Joy Behar's surprising compliment

Vance himself acknowledged Behar's unexpected praise during his appearance on 'The View'.

While discussing his experience in the program, he revealed that the host had given him what he considered a rare endorsement.

“Joy said when we were off air that I’m fine, which I think is about the best endorsement I’m gonna get out of Joy Behar,” Vance joked.

Behar immediately clarified her position.

“For a Republican,” she responded.

“Graded on a curve here at The View,” Vance replied.