Trump Criticized for Keeping Hat On During Dignified Transfer of Fallen Troops

The View's Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin call out the former president's lack of respect during the solemn ceremony.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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On Monday's episode of The View, co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin criticized former President Donald Trump for keeping his hat on during a dignified transfer ceremony honoring six fallen U.S. soldiers in Denver. Goldberg said Trump should have "take[n] your damn hat off" out of respect, while Hostin compared Trump's behavior unfavorably to that of former President Barack Obama, who she said stood for 45 minutes without a hat during a similar ceremony.

Why it matters

The dignified transfer of fallen U.S. troops is a solemn ceremony meant to honor the sacrifice of service members. Goldberg and Hostin argued that Trump's failure to remove his hat showed a lack of respect for the occasion and made the event "all about Trump" rather than the fallen soldiers.

The details

According to the report, the six soldiers honored in the Denver ceremony were identified as Maj. Jeffrey O'Brien, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, Capt. Cody Khork, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens and Sgt. Declan Coady.

  • The dignified transfer ceremony took place on Saturday, March 7, 2026.

The players

Whoopi Goldberg

Co-host of The View who criticized Trump for keeping his hat on during the dignified transfer ceremony.

Sunny Hostin

Co-host of The View who compared Trump's behavior unfavorably to that of former President Barack Obama during similar ceremonies.

Donald Trump

Former U.S. president who attended the dignified transfer ceremony in Denver but kept his hat on, drawing criticism from The View co-hosts.

Barack Obama

Former U.S. president who Hostin said stood for 45 minutes without a hat during a dignified transfer ceremony, in contrast to Trump's behavior.

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What they’re saying

“Take your damn hat off! I didn't understand why nobody pulled his coattail and said, 'Sir.' Just out of respect!”

— Whoopi Goldberg, Co-host, The View (The View)

“What I saw when I saw that dignified transfer was it was all about Trump, and I thought that was despicable.”

— Sunny Hostin, Co-host, The View (The View)

The takeaway

This incident highlights the importance of respect and decorum during solemn military ceremonies honoring the fallen. The criticism from The View co-hosts underscores the expectation that political leaders should set aside personal agendas and focus on appropriately commemorating the sacrifice of service members.