The View hosts tensely grill Miami mayor for saying he'd vote for Trump: 'From prison?'

The View cohosts turned up the heat on Miami's mayor and presidential candidate Francis Suarez during a tense debate about Donald Trump's recent indictment on federal charges.

"You would vote for a man who's been impeached twice, you'd vote for a man who has two pending indictments — criminal indictments — you'd vote for a man who Bill Barr said that the federal indictment against the former president is very damning. Do you think those charges of national security are damning?" panelist Sunny Hostin asked Suarez on Friday's pre-taped episode.

"I think they're serious," he responded. "Then why would you vote for him?" Hostin pressed.

Suarez momentarily deflected, telling the table's legal expert that he's "running for president," and he wants "people to vote for me" at the end of the race.

"But, if you don't get the nod, you would vote for him?" Hostin continued, to which Suarez responded, "I'm not running not to get the nod, I'm running to get the nod, I'm running to convince every single person in this audience to give me a chance, to give me an opportunity to serve them humbly."

Joy Behar butted in, saying: "But, sir, are you saying you'd vote for him because you know you need his base to vote for you, or because you actually think he'd be a good president? Come on!"

Hostin then reminded Suarez that Trump could hypothetically become president "from prison," though the Republican politician doubled down on his stance.

"Joy, what I'm saying is I'd vote for myself, I'm running for President of the United States. I understand that the conversation always gravitates towards the former president. I don't think that's good for our country, I think that's toxic, I think it promotes division," he said.

Hostin immediately clapped back: "Then why wouldn't you say I wouldn't vote for him?" she asked.

"Because people were asking me a question about whether I'd vote for one person or the other, and I want to be honest about my answer," he told her.

Hostin nodded and chuckled as Behar threw the show to a commercial break.

The ladies of The View have had a rough go with Trump as of late, with the former president even naming current cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin — an ex-member of his White House communications team — in a recent Fox News interview.

Earlier in June, Griffin suggested that she regretted working for Trump throughout 2020, after she previously worked under Mike Pence from 2017-2019.

"Chris Christie is an imperfect messenger telling a very important message. There's a lot I've disagreed with him on over the years. Listen, his unfavorables are sky high in the Republican party. I don't think there's a path for him to the nomination, but he's doing what people are unwilling to do, saying, I know this guy, I supported this guy, frankly, I supported him until the bitter end, but I'm telling you now: He's dangerous," Griffin — who federal prosecutors recently interviewed amid an investigation into Trump's conduct — said during a discussion about Christie's vocal opposition to Trump. "It's okay if you think he woke up too late, but what he's saying is true. I wish I could count myself among the people who's never made a mistake and never aligned with the wrong people and had to learn as life goes on, but what he's saying is powerful."

The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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