(NewsNation) — On a special two-hour edition of NewsNation’s “CUOMO,” Bill O’Reilly and Stephen A. Smith discussed the inauguration of President Donald Trump and broke down what’s next, sparring over immigration, border security, myriad political backlash the president faces and more.
Dems fall into Trump’s trap when ‘overreacting’: Smith
O’Reilly pointed to Trump’s two tracks: The political, which involves pleasing his voter base, and the realistic track of what could actually be accomplished.
One unrealistic policy point, O’Reilly said, is ending birthright citizenship.
“That’s in the Constitution. Can’t sign an executive order to overturn it,” O’Reilly said. “He knows that, but there’s no downside for him to do it, because his base likes it.”
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But signing meaningless orders for the sake of maintaining popularity can’t be what the Democrats decide to attack, Smith said.
“If you overreact to it and use every little sound bite that he throws out there or every little insignificant act that you know he’s not going to be able to push through … you’re reminding Americans of why they voted against you in the 2024 election,” Smith said.
“Why engage him in that? Because you’re falling right into his trap when he does that,” Smith added, pointing out that Trump has proved he is “an absolute master” at provoking headlines.
“If it’s something substantive that’s a real threat in your eyes, that you feel he can push through, react to that,” Smith said. “Make it real.”
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O’Reilly: Mexico officials America’s ‘enemy’ for cartel response
O’Reilly said he believes Mexico City’s government is an “enemy of America” for allowing drug cartels to have so much influence in their country.
O’Reilly thinks the president should take his newest border orders a step further, sending the military into Mexico to address cartels.
“I don’t give a whit what Claudia Sheinbaum thinks,” O’Reilly said. “If we want to take out cartel members, we have the authority under the Constitution now to do it, and Trump should do it.”
O’Reilly added that government officials in Mexico City are “an enemy to America” for allowing “these cartels to run their own country.”
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On Monday, Trump designated cartels as “global terrorists” and signed a swath of sweeping executive orders regarding immigration.
Smith pointed out that, while it is “1000% right” that Trump should crack down on cartels and drug flow throughout America, “How come this hadn’t happened before?”
“The cynical amongst us in America, who don’t know the things that Bill O’Reilly and Chris Cuomo know, have looked at government as playing a role in allowing these things to perpetuate and continue throughout history,” Smith explained.
Though previous administrations have had the power and muscle to handle cartels and the spread of drugs, “decade after decade after decade, nothing has happened,” Smith said.
