Ana Navarro Thought Sarah Palin's Congressional Bid Was 'A Funny April Fools' Joke'

Suffice it to say the women of The View aren't taking Sarah Palin's political comeback too seriously. On Monday morning, the ladies laughed off Palin's bid to fill the Congressional seat left vacant by Rep. Don Young, the prominent Alaska Republican who died last month. Ana Navarro even revealed she initially thought Palin's announcement was "a funny April Fools' joke," but she soon realized the former governor was completely serious about entering the already-packed primary.

After a relatively serious morning of Hot Topics, moderator Whoopi Goldberg lightened the mood with a chuckle at Palin's expense. "Mm-mm, look out world: Sarah Palin just announced she's returning to politics," she said at the top of the segment, earning a round of jeers from the audience. "The former governor of Alaska plans to run for the Congressional seat left vacant by longtime Alaska Congressman Don Young. Dammit, Don!"

Whoopi proceeded to ask the table if Palin "actually [has] a chance" to win after she received an endorsement from "he who will not be named on this show," Donald Trump, but the co-hosts didn't seem interested in answering. "She was ahead of her time," said Sara Haines. "She was like a soundbite machine ... everyone was like, 'Oh my gosh, she's so new and amazing and she doesn't read newspapers.' Now that's like a prerequisite for people to run for office."

"The announcement came April Fools' Day," replied Navarro. "So I thought to myself, 'Oh, look, Sarah's got a sense of humor! Isn't this a funny April Fools' joke!"

SARAH PALIN ANNOUNCES CONGRESSIONAL RUN: The former governor of Alaska is planning to run for the congressional seat vacated by the late Rep. Don Young — #TheView co-hosts react after Palin received an endorsement from former Pres. Trump. https://t.co/rsY0rwfasp pic.twitter.com/NGb9fpbtch

— The View (@TheView) April 4, 2022

All kidding aside, the guest co-host said that she "actually traveled with Sarah Palin for a few weeks" during the 2008 McCain campaign, and she's "a better retail politician than people give her credit for." Navarro added that while "Trump's endorsement does make a difference" in a crowded primary field, Palin's bid is a likely response to her waning significance.

"I think she misses the spotlight. She misses the relevance," said Navarro. "She's bored. She wants to be in the thick of it again, and the question I think for Alaskans is, do they want somebody like Don Young, who was a quintessential Alaskan, all about the state, or do they want a very polarizing, national celebrity?"

Love her or hate her, Sarah Palin's timing remains unmatched. Announcing a Congressional run on April Fools' Day? That's almost as bad as rapping "Baby Got Back" on The Masked Singer as the world shuts down due to COVID-19.

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.