Over the last week, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly has come under fire after news broke that he paid off at least five women who accused him of sexual assault. During a recent interview, President Donald Trump came to his defense.
Trump on O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly has been one of the most popular names on Fox News for the better part of the last two decades. Despite this, the New York Times reported over the weekend that O'Reilly had reached settlements with five women over the years, costing a total of $13 million to come to terms with allegations of sexual assault.
The Fox News host has been quiet on the issue, with only his legal team speaking out and denying the allegations. One of O"Reilly's biggest supporters happens to be President Donald Trump, who ironically has had his fair share of sexual assault accusers, most notably the 12 women who publicly made their claims in the month before the election. As reported by the New York Times on April 5, Trump has decided to stick up for his friend in the conservative media.
"I don’t think Bill did anything wrong," Trump told NYT, referring to harassment accusations against Bill O'Reilly https://t.co/eRDjNMgFIi
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 5, 2017
During an exclusive interview with the New York Times published on Wednesday, Donald Trump touched on a variety of issues, including the aforementioned allegations of sexual assault at the hands of Bill O'Reilly.
"I think he’s a person I know well," Trump said, describing the Fox News host as "a good person." "I think he shouldn’t have settled," the president went on to say, elaborating, "personally I think he shouldn’t have settled." Continuing, Trump explained further, "because you should have taken it all the way. I don’t think Bill did anything wrong."
Hyundai, BMW, Allstate, and online marketing firm Constant Contact said they pulled their ads. https://t.co/8Ae5umVDiu
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) April 5, 2017
In the recent aftermath of the allegations being made public, sponsors have begun pulling their ads from "The O Reilly Factor" show on Fox News, including Mercedes, Hyundai, and Allstate.
As of press time, Bill O'Reilly is not expected to be removed from the show or network, despite critics calling for his immediate firing or suspension.
Moving forward
While it's unknown what the future will hold for the popular host on Fox News, Donald Trump has his own issues to worry about. From the ongoing Russian scandal, to his recent debacle on health care, the former host of "The Apprentice" is dealing with constant controversy after just two months on the job.
