BUCK: We are joined by a very special guest today — you all know him — Bill O’Reilly. That’s right, the Bill O’Reilly, best-selling author, TV host, commentator. He has an exclusive interview you can watch tonight on The First TV. You can download The First TV app free. It goes tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. By the way, I’m on at 7 p.m. Eastern on First TV right before Bill. Mr. Bill, great to have you first time here, sir. Thank you so much.
BILL: Hey, guys, congrats on the new job. That should be fun, right?
BUCK: Yeah. So far, so good. I’m learning a lot about sports from Clay, which is a lot of fun.
CLAY: (laughing)
BUCK: So tell us, Bill. We know you talked to the former president last night. You asked him about the big lawsuit, some other key issues right now. What’s your biggest takeaway? What can people expect to see tonight when you have the sit-down premiere?
BILL: Well, it’s totally different interview than Donald Trump does with anyone else, and people know that because I’ve known him for so long. And as you guys may know we’re going to do some history shows, the history of his administration beginning in December, and this is a preview of that.
But because the breaking news hit in the morning and when I was on my way to New Jersey in early afternoon to interview him there at his golf club where he lives in the summer, we broke a lot of news in the sense that here’s his strategy about how to bring down the social media companies; here’s why he’s doing it.
Then, of course, I play devil’s advocate and say, “Well, they’re gonna do this to you. Are you prepared for the war?” ‘Cause it will be. And so that’s kind of back and forth, you don’t see that too many places with Donald Trump. Number one, he doesn’t have the patience for it, but he indulges me. And, number two, in 20 minutes — and that’s what we’ll run tonight on BillOReilly.com and The First.
You’ll not only get that, but you’ll get his take on why prices are going up, why crime is the backing up, all of that in a very, very — dare I say — no spin way. Because there’s not a lot of bloviating here. It’s back and forth, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. So I think anybody — even if you don’t like Donald Trump — who watches the interview is gonna learn a lot.
CLAY: Bill, I appreciate you coming on with us. This is Clay. I’m kind of fascinated by your read on him. We had him on last week and tried to pin him down on a timeline for when he makes his decision on 2024. You’ve known President Trump for a long time. Do you think, based on what basically his interaction was like in your interview, does he seem like he’s gearing up for a 2024 run? How would you handicap those odds based on your interaction with him?
CLAY: (laughing)
BILL: And I said, “Look, if you’re gonna do it again…” And I come at this — everybody listening to us should know, I come at this — as a historian/journalist. I’m not a partisan player. I think that Donald Trump did a good job on policy in his four years. I think the first seven months of Joe Biden have been a disaster. But I’m coming at that from a history-reporting perspective.
So I also know that we… You guys and me and everybody listening to us today don’t know what the deuce happened during the four years he was sitting in the Oval Office because it was never reported. All the reporting was, “We hate him” or “we love him.” It wasn’t, “How did you get that damn vax? How did that ever happen?” Nobody knows. So that’s the kind of stuff that I can get out of him. But to answer your question succinctly, he does want to run again.
CLAY: You said he’d have to make changes if he were going to run again. What did you tell him he would need to do in order to be electable in 2024 and beat either Joe Biden — at 82 years old, who’s deciding to run again — or presumably Kamala Harris, because it would be racist and sexist for the Democratic Party, based on their current platitudes, not to select her?
BILL: I don’t think either of those two are gonna run for president again. But that’s another discussion for another time.
CLAY: That’s fascinating. Let me unpack that, then. So why do you think neither…? Biden obviously I’m assuming because of age. Why would you…? I think it would be stunning if Kamala Harris didn’t run. Why do you think she would not run?
BILL: Because nobody likes her.
CLAY: (laughing)
BUCK: (laughing)
BILL: Nobody likes her.
BUCK: There we go.
BILL: Nobody. Biden doesn’t —
BUCK: Can I ask you, Bill, about…?
BILL: Wait, wait. Let me just say.
BUCK: Go ahead.
Hello, James Buchanan. But to get back to your Trump question, I gave one word to Donald Trump last night at dinner, and it was a name — one name — Winston Churchill. So Winston Churchill defeated the Axis powers and Hitler, and they threw him out of office. They voted him out.
CLAY: Yes.
BILL: Can you imagine this? But he made a stunning comeback. I said to him, “Mr. President, with all due respect,” because I do respect the office, okay, and I never overstep my bounds when I’m interviewing any president. I said, “You need to study Winston Churchill, all right? He was blustery like you. He wasn’t quite as flamboyant. But study what happened to him and then how he handled it,” and that was the advice I gave him.
BUCK: For anybody joining us we’re speaking to Bill O’Reilly, and he has an exclusive interview which you can watch tonight on The First TV. Just download The First TV app. That airs at 8 eastern. I’m on before him at 7 Eastern on The First TV. And Bill, we mentioned Biden-Kamala. And I think Clay and I, we looked at each other as soon as you said that.
And that’s fascinating you think they’re both unlikely to run. But I want to ask about where we are now. You mentioned the six-month disaster that’s been Biden on policy so far. Probably top of the list — I mean, the border might be number one for me. But right up there is crime, the crime surge, defund police. Yesterday Biden is going to Chicago.
We see that news story. He touches down in Chicago, has a tarmac meeting, basically, with the mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot — who is also disastrous on the crime issue — and then goes on off to give some speech about, you know, jobs and more spending and the government’s gonna spend more You know, they spent $6 trillion last year; let’s spend another few trillion this year. What is the disconnect here? I mean, the American people, by all the polls, see that the crime issue is major. It’s like Biden doesn’t get it.
And I point at the liberal. “Your life. Give me one thing — and don’t say, ‘He’s better than Trump.’ That’s a cop-out. Give me one thing that President Biden has done — just one — to improve anybody’s life in America.” Silence, crickets. And those listening to us I’m sure you guys have millions of people listening to you right now, all right?
Think about it. Give me one. You can’t. Biden runs into Chicago. Thousands of African-Americans are being murdered in that city, thousands over the last decade, and what does Biden do? He gives Lori Lightfoot, who can barely spell her name, $1.9 billion to do something. Nobody knows what. Okay?
It’s just insane if you step back and look at the incompetence of the whole machine. Not just Biden. None of them have any clue on what to do with the economy, rising food prices, rising gas prices, inflation, falling auto industry. They don’t know! They don’t know how to solve crime, and they don’t really want to.
Because it’s a social justice issue, not a criminal justice issue for them. Okay. So I’m sitting here, I’m going, “Where are the American people? If you live in San Francisco, do you like that, that you can’t even go into a Walmart any more or a Target because looters are stealing stuff en masse? Is that what you want, no one prosecuted?” I mean, I’m just sitting here. I’m aghast at what is happening to our country, and it’s not gonna change until the people rise up.
CLAY: Bill, I want to go back to Biden and Kamala. Who, then, is running in your mind for the Democratic Party? You had the interesting outcome of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary where arguably the least liberal of the candidates won. Who is out there that would be that replacement in 2024, in your mind, that ends up Democratic Party’s standard-bearer?
BILL: It’s impossible to say right now. So the government is being run by Ron Klain and Susan Rice, who both consult daily with the Obamas. Barack and Michelle. That’s who’s running the government right now. Nancy Pelosi is consulted, as is Chuck Schumer. They’re consulted, but they’re not decision-makers. So the decisions are coming out of the Obama crew.
I know all these people. All right? I know what’s happening. But you can’t say, “All right. The Biden administration’s gonna be a disaster and Kamala is gonna be attached to that disaster,” who the next person will be. You don’t know it happen might be a governor. It might be somebody from out of politics, a la Trump. You don’t know.
But in about a year from now you’ll start to see. There will be little hints about who’s gonna go. You know, if Trump doesn’t go, it’s gonna be DeSantis of Florida. That’s who’s gonna be the guy. But if Trump does go, DeSantis might take the number two, because in four years, he would then be the standard-bearer. So that’s where we are politically. But so many things are gonna change in the next 12 months. I mean, you guys are gonna have every day a plethora of stuff for you.
CLAY: (chuckling)
BUCK: (chuckling) A lot to do. Bill, we really appreciate you joining us here. Everyone should check out tonight Bill’s exclusive interview with President Trump on The First TV, go down The First TV app for free, it’s 8 eastern tonight — and also BillOReilly.com plus you can check me out on Hold the Line at 7 p.m. on First TV right before. Bill, really are a appreciate it. Thank you so much.
BILL: Guys, let me give one quick plug to Killing the Mob, my new book. Nine weeks number one.
BUCK: Wow.
BILL: You know the New York Times loves that. Do you not?
BUCK: (laughing)
BILL: They are celebrating the success of O’Reilly Killing the Mob, number one, nine weeks on the marketplace, number one again on Sunday, and we really appreciate being on your program. Anytime you need me, guys, give me a buzz.
BUCK: We’ll do.
CLAY: Appreciate it.
BUCK: Go check out Killing the Mob. Clay, I actually think that’s perfect ’cause he mentioned — we’ve been meaning to talk about this — the shoplifting non-prosecution all this stuff.
CLAY: Yeah.
BUCK: We can dive into that a little bit.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
BUCK: I got a question right away here to pose to my man Clay. Kamala not running? I mean, Bill… Look, Bill’s a great entertainer and really astute observer and analyst of American politics. That’s kind of he’s dropping a bomb with that one. He thinks Kamala… What do you make of that?
But I think the way the Democratic Party is set up right now, Buck, if Kamala isn’t the nominee, she is going to have the ultimate trump card here that the Democratic Party is racist and sexist, because she would see the reason she’s not getting the nomination is because she’s a black woman.
BUCK: I think you have to say that the DNC apparatus such as it is is very likely to view even an 80-something-year-old Biden as a safer bet. Running against Trump? They would say, “Let’s just do the replay of 2020.” They would forget about pandemic, right?
CLAY: Yes.
BUCK: They would view it as a replay of 2020. I’m not sure Biden’s not gonna run again. That’s really what I think.
CLAY: Eighty-two-year-old Joe Biden trying to run again? Remember, he got the benefit of just being able to stay in his basement. The Democratic Party basically ran a campaign predicated on covid’s gonna kill you, and I think that’s why they won the election. Without covid — and I’ve continued to beat this drum for months now — Trump wins in an absolute landslide, Buck. It’s not really close.
BUCK: I think that’s why a lot of folks out there —
CLAY: — who won’t like give it.
BUCK: They’re saying that Trump wants today it again and he may very well get… By the way, DeSantis as a VP candidate? I think that…
CLAY: No-brainer.
BUCK: That’s a really compelling ticket. So we’ll see where it goes from here.
Berenson on the RFK Jr. nomination and whether he'd sign up to join him in…
Another day, another Trump cabinet choice that's making Washington heads explode.
When and how did Democrats become the party of conspiracy crackpots?
Clay meets two legends -- Elon Musk and Sylvester Stallone.
Clay and Tammy Bruce discussed Trump's flurry of nominations.