Former Fox News presenter Bill O’Reilly said he advised Donald Trump to run for office again.
Mr O’Reilly, who left Fox in 2017 following settlements with women who accused him of sexual misconduct, made the comments while appearing on the Dan Abrams show on the NewsNation channel on Monday.
He said Mr Trump called him after their “History Tour” in Dallas on Sunday, where the former president said he had received a booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccine.
“This is good for you. This is good that people see another side of you, not a political side. You told the truth. You believe in the vax. Your administration did it, and you should take credit for it,” Mr O’Reilly said he told Mr Trump during the call.
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Mr O’Reilly said he wanted the former president to use the record of his administration – claiming that it was during the Trump administration that Covid vaccines were developed – in his re-election bid.
“I’m trying to tell [former] president Trump, run on your record. He’s going to run again, all right,” Mr O’Reilly said. “I said, ‘Run on your record because your record is pretty darn good.’”
While Mr Trump has continued to tease that he would run for the 2024 presidential elections, he is yet to confirm or officially announce his intention to do so.
Mr O’Reilly said Mr Trump did not know that he would be asked about whether he had received a booster shot.
The former president was booed and jeered by a mostly unmasked crowd on Sunday when he revealed that he had received the booster shot.
“Did you get the booster?” Mr O’Reilly had asked Mr Trump.
“Yes,” he replied. “I got it too,” Mr O’Reilly added.
The Dallas leg of the “History Tour” was the final leg of the speaking tour by the two in five venues in Texas and Florida.
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Reports have emerged that the tour received only a lukewarm response from the audience. However, Mr O’Reilly dismissed the reports.
Earlier in July, he had described the series as “a series of live conversations” to “discuss exactly how things were accomplished” in the Trump administration.