Ana Navarro Balances Roles on The View, CNN and New Podcast

Political commentator Ana Navarro co-hosts ABC's "The View," appears regularly on CNN's "NewsNight with Abby Phillip" and hosts a weekly podcast for iHeart called "Bleep! " Navarro, 54, has become one of the most recognizable Republican critics of President Trump across those platforms.

She severed longtime friendships, including with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, over political differences. The FCC is reviewing ABC's television station licenses in connection with an investigation into parent company Disney's diversity practices.

" CNN's future ownership remains uncertain. Its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery could become part of Paramount, whose owners David and Larry Ellison have been described as Trump-friendly. Navarro said she had an honest conversation with Walt Disney Co.

Chief Executive Bob Iger last year at an ABC upfront presentation after he approached her. She declined to disclose details. "Nobody is muscling us. All I've got to do is show up and do the same thing that I've always done, which is be as truthful, and authentic and informed," she said.

On Friday, ABC filed a petition with the FCC over the agency's scrutiny of "The View" and whether the program qualifies for an exemption from equal time rules.

Podcast Offers Unfiltered Platform On "Bleep!

With Ana Navarro," she records at iHeart's midtown Manhattan studios accompanied by her miniature poodle ChaCha. The podcast allows her to deliver extended monologues and use language not permitted on broadcast television. Navarro interviews guests but also speaks directly to listeners as if in conversation.

She has maintained her commentary critical of the Trump administration and its immigration policies. A young Spanish-speaking woman recently thanked Navarro at a Manhattan restaurant for defending immigrants during the administration's deportation efforts.

Navarro fled Nicaragua with her family as a child after the Sandinista National Liberation Front took power.

Navarro's family sought political asylum in the United States in 1980 when she was eight years old. Her father remained in Nicaragua to fight with the anti-communist Contras. She received amnesty and became a U.S. citizen under the 1986 immigration reform bill signed by President Reagan.

She worked as a Republican political operative in Miami and served as national Hispanic chair for 2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain. Navarro's criticism of Trump began in 2015 after his campaign announcement. She cited his description of Mexican immigrants and his mockery of a disabled journalist, which reminded her of her brother's autism.

"Calling Mexicans rapists and criminals — that just hurt my heart," she said. "That brought back so much outrage and anger. " Former CNN president Jeff Zucker said her background sets her apart. "She's funny, insightful, knows how to turn a phrase and she's gone on a political journey," he said.

" Being an anti-Trump Republican has become less common within the party since Trump's successful 2024 campaign that returned him to the White House. Navarro said the shift has ended some long-standing relationships.