Commentator and author Bill O’Reilly went on Newsmax’s Greg Kelly Reports to promote his new book, Killing the Killers.
And while O’Reilly fielded questions about terrorism and Biden’s Cabinet, before long the topic turned to his friend and business partner — former President Donald Trump.
Specifically, O’Reilly commented on Trump’s prospects to run for president in 2024… and he’s done his research.
The host, Greg Kelly, asked:
Bill, you know Trump like very people do. You have special insight into this guy. You’ve known him a long time. And of course a very successful speaking tour the two of you did! Where do things stand right now in terms of him running? And what do you think of his political prognostications? Y’know the endorsing, the not endorsing! The ‘this guy,’ not ‘that guy!’ What’s your sense of Trump right now?
O’Reilly replied, “Well, he wants to run, and he can’t announce until Jan. 23 because of campaign finance rules. Raised an enormous amount of money. I don’t think anybody’s ever raised the money that Donald Trump has raised.”
Trump has been fundraising through the Save America Political Action Committee. His PAC started the year with more than $122 million in its coffers, according to filings reviewed by The New York Times in March.
Trump’s PAC reportedly outraised the Republican National Committee.
A Democrat-aligned PAC, American Bridge, reportedly filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission and accused Trump of skipping the necessary paperwork for this fundraising. The FEC requires federal candidates to file for candidacy before fundraising for their campaigns, according to the Times.
By formally declaring his candidacy, Trump would reportedly open his PAC to the FEC’s regulations, including disclosure requirements and limits on how to spend the money.
Trump has teased another run for president without formally declaring his candidacy. “We did it twice, and we’ll do it again,” Trump said at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February, according to The Washington Post. “We’re going to be doing it again a third time.”
However, O’Reilly took issue with some of Trump’s recent activities: his endorsements.
O’Reilly said:
If I were him, I’d kind of stay away from these state races. Unless you really know the candidate well. Because every one of your endorsements that lose, the left-wing press is going to ram down your throat.
So, y’know, politicians do this so that there’ll be loyalty to them. I know why Trump is doing it, but, y’know, you’ve got to have people around you who can really analyze what’s happening.
And I think that Trump gubernatorial endorsement in Georgia is going to lose, and I don’t know if he really wants that on his resume.
Trump endorsed former Sen. David Perdue in Georgia’s Republican primary for governor.
The most recent poll average from RealClearPolitics reveals that Perdue is polling a massive 22.3 points behind his primary challenger, incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.
Still, O’Reilly concluded, “But at this point Donald Trump wants to run in ’24.”
O’Reilly’s book hit shelves on Tuesday morning. He called the book “the best reporting I’ve done in my career.”
The Horn editorial team