One might mistake Bill O’Reilly for someone campaigning for Donald Trump, but he might just really be flattered about being the reason why Trump went back to Fox News.
Trump reportedly said that Fox News had been unfair in covering his presidential campaign. But last Tuesday, Trump appeared in The O’Reilly Factor, where he was grilled by the host.
Although Trump said he has always found O’Reilly to be fair, the typically outspoken host proceeded to ask Trump if the questions being asked were fair.
For Trump’s return to Fox, O’Reilly repeatedly asks the candidate if his questions are “fair” http://t.co/zOlNYFmuKW pic.twitter.com/rLWXtJMrHF
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) September 30, 2015
The day following the interview, O’Reilly talked about Trump and his campaign on the show. O’Reilly also denied that he knew anything about the reason behind Trump’s reconciliation with the Fox News Channel. “He’s a phenomenon, this man,” O’Reilly told Yahoo News’ Katie Couric on Wednesday. “The liberal press doesn’t want a guy saying, ‘Well, we’re gonna build a fence! We’re gonna round up all the illegal aliens and deport them!’” he said. “The liberal press goes wild about that.”
Now on #YahooLive @oreillyfactor: “To call Trump a bigot, a racist…that’s desperately unfair.” http://t.co/uIWiDAb1Sa
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) September 30, 2015
O’Reilly even defended Trump about his past statement regarding Mexican immigrants.
“He was talking about the ‘coyotes,’ the people smugglers — not the regular Mexican people,” O’Reilly said. “He didn’t articulate it that way. It was a verbal mistake… I know what he was saying, but he didn’t say it in a way that was clear.”
“I’ve defended Trump a lot,” O’Reilly said. “I think Trump is good for America because he’s drawing so many people in and they’re paying attention to the debates.”
Bill O’Reilly Says Donald Trump ‘Has Been Good For Politics In America’ [VIDEO] http://t.co/l4COONbEei pic.twitter.com/rKBlaNP0JM
— The Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 22, 2015
“He’s not a phony,” O’Reilly continued. “He’s entertaining, he’s energetic, and he’s knowledgeable. That’s what I look for when I want to hang out with someone.”
But O’Reilly also called Trump “hypersensitive” when it comes to the ‘small stuff’ — and unable to accept criticism of his policies.
“If the question is tough, you’ve got to roll with it because you’re running for president,” he said.