(NewsNation) — Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly says President-elect Donald Trump is “laser-locked” on fulfilling campaign promises and significantly more prepared for the presidency than during his first term following a recent private meeting at Mar-a-Lago.
The author, who said he has met nine presidents so far, got a “summons” from Mar-a-Lago and felt obligated to go as a journalist despite not knowing what he was called for.
“When a president says, ‘Hey, come on over,’ you go on over,” O’Reilly said Monday on NewsNation’s “On Balance.”
O’Reilly described sitting in on a “literal Cabinet meeting” at Trump’s Florida estate, where he observed discussions about tariffs and other policy matters.
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O’Reilly, who celebrated his 50th year in journalism, said Trump’s grasp of presidential responsibilities has evolved considerably since 2017.
“Eight years ago, Donald Trump really didn’t know what he was looking at as President of the United States, and he leaned on people for advice. That’s gone. He knows exactly what the job is.”
The meeting included former Trump advisers Stephen Miller and Peter Navarro along with Howard Lutnick and others, O’Reilly said. He described detailed discussions about using tariffs to pressure companies like Apple to move manufacturing from China to the United States.
While Trump appears more knowledgeable about governance, O’Reilly predicted the next administration would face internal conflicts despite promises of strict discipline from incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
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“The first year of every single presidential administration has been a bloodbath behind the scenes, and this one will be too,” O’Reilly said. “People are going to try to stab each other to death, not literally, but figuratively.”
O’Reilly’s observations came from what he described as a three-hour visit to Mar-a-Lago, including both the meeting and dinner with Trump.
“[Trump] certainly comes in in a very, very strong position, the strongest position of any president since maybe JFK,” O’Reilly said.
