The View co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin is reflecting on her time working for Donald Trump’s administration during his first term.
In response to a tweet speculating about the origins of the expletive phrase “Jesus H. Christ,” the 37-year-old offered up what the president told her on the subject when she worked as his special assistant.
“Hand on my heart, my first day at the White House, Trump asked me if I knew what the H stood for,” Griffin wrote Thursday on X. “I said no. He said Horatio.”
She added: “I think about that at least once a week.”
The saying is a profane interjection typically used to show anger, surprise or shock. The “H” does not stand for a real middle name, and the expression likely came from Greek letters, although the exact origins are unknown.
Hand on my heart, my first day at the White House, Trump asked me if I knew what the H stood for. I said no. He said Horatio.
— Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) October 22, 2026
I think about that at least once a week. 😭 https://t.co/qBx8C1xvnT
Griffin was appointed special assistant to the president and press secretary to former Vice President Mike Pence in September 2017. Two years later, she became the press secretary for the United States Department of Defense and the director of media affairs, which made her the chief spokesperson for the department.
In April 2020, Griffin joined the White House Office as the White House communications director under Trump, making her the only person to have held all three of those positions. She resigned from the role in December 2020.
After joining CNN as a political contributor in 2021, Griffin was named co-host of The View starting with season 26 in 2022. She currently sits at the table alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin.
Griffin is known for sharing her expert political insight and providing commentary that leans conservative.
However, her relationship with Trump seems to have soured in the years since she resigned. She voted for Trump’s opponent Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election — marking her first time voting for a Democrat.
Last year, Trump took aim at Griffin after she broke her promise that she would wear a MAGA hat on the show when the Israeli hostages were released.
The president said that after Griffin resigned, she sent him two glowing letters. However, Trump said he “never thought [she] was very outstanding. I figured she would not make it. And she didn’t have a big role here, either.”
He went on to blame the ABC daytime talk show for Griffin’s changed stance on him, saying: “And then, she got hired by The View, and they gave her a couple of bucks, and she changed her view very quickly.”
“I never thought she’d make it,” he said again. “Never thought she had what it took.”
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