In a surprising turn of events, former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly has publicly praised former President Barack Obama while criticizing current President Joe Biden.
The controversial comments were made during a recent interview on NewsNation, where O’Reilly promoted his new book, “Confronting the Presidents: No Spin Assessments from Washington to Biden.”
During the segment titled “Bill O’Reilly’s Confronting the Presidents: America’s Best and Worst,” O’Reilly shared unexpected positive remarks about Obama’s presidency.
“I don’t think Obama was a bad president at all. In fact, you could put him in the good category because he uplifted a portion of the population that needed to be uplifted, people of color,” O’Reilly told anchor Leland Vittert.
The former television host went on to describe Obama as “the hardest-working president in modern history.”
The Hill noted that this statement aligns with Gallup polling data, which shows that Obama maintained an average approval rating of 48 percent throughout his time in office.
O’Reilly’s praise for Obama extended beyond his work ethic.
He revealed that he had a “good relationship” with the former president, stating, “We were very fair to Barack Obama in ‘Confronting the Presidents.’”
“We had a good relationship with Obama. I knew what he was doing it, and why he was doing it. And he wasn’t, in his mind, or in my mind, damaging the country.”
These positive comments about Obama stand in stark contrast to O’Reilly’s assessment of the current administration.
The journalist didn’t hold back when discussing President Biden, however, claiming that he can be found “taking a nap every three hours.”
O’Reilly even suggested that Obama himself wasn’t fond of Biden, stating, “Obama didn’t like Biden because Biden was like taking a nap every three hours.”
While O’Reilly’s praise for Obama was notable, he did express disagreement with certain Democratic policies.
“I didn’t agree with his mass spending tactics because I don’t think that works in the long run for the working American. Can’t raise taxes the way these guys want to raise them on the Democratic side,” he said.
The Hill further noted that the interview, which aired on September 15 at 9 p.m. EDT, was intended to offer more insights into O’Reilly’s views on past presidents and the current political landscape.
His new book appears to be a comprehensive look at the nation’s leaders throughout history, the Hill reported.
O’Reilly’s comments have already sparked debate among political commentators and the public.
Not the Bee’s Harris Rigby questioned O’Reilly over his Obama remarks: “Wait a minute … you don’t think that Bill O’Reilly just said all that stuff on Fox News for years for the ratings, but in reality he doesn’t care, he’s just as big a lib as anyone on the Left, and he now lives off his reputation as a staunch conservative boomer, do you?”
“That would be ridiculous,” he quipped.
His unexpected praise for Obama, coupled with his criticism of Biden, highlights the complex and often surprising nature of American politics.
