Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly criticized Ex-CNN star Chris Cuomo for not pressing Ohio Senator JD Vance hard enough during Thursday’s town hall.
O’Reilly felt Cuomo “let Vance off,” particularly regarding the “divisive rhetoric” the Trump/Vance ticket has utilized while campaigning.
“I would have brought in two examples of divisive rhetoric,” O’Reilly stated, clarifying his aim wasn’t a “gotcha” moment, but rather to gauge Vance’s viewpoint.
In the session, Cuomo questioned Vance about his past incorrect claims of Haitian immigrants harming pets in Springfield, Ohio.
“Do I wish that I had been better in that moment? Maybe,” Vance replied.
He then quickly shifted to claiming he was simply listening to community concerns, asserting he needed to prioritize constituents’ voices over media narratives.
“What am I supposed to do? Hang up the phone and tell them they’re a liar because the media doesn’t want me to talk about it?” Vance questioned rhetorically.
“One of the things that I’ve learned in my time in the United States Senate is that sometimes the media doesn’t always listen to people.”
The Ohio senator criticized the media for focusing on his pet-related comments instead of the challenges faced by the town due to increased immigration.
O’Reilly argued Cuomo missed an opportunity to tackle the broader issue of illegal immigration, saying, “We have statistics like $350 million just this year on illegal immigrants. It’s unsustainable.”
“You don’t have to go into the Alpo thing with the dogs and the cats … you open yourself up to all kinds of charges with the media gleefully hopping on,” he added.
The political commentator noted that Trump’s VP pick “would have been way ahead if he goes, ‘You know, that probably wasn’t the best thing for us to do,’” and changed the subject to the financial burden caused by mass migration.
O’Reilly also noted that, “Americans like it when you [politicians] admit a mistake.”
Cuomo stood firm about his line of questioning, telling O’Reilly that apologies are “weaponized” in politics, making it rare for politicians to admit errors.
“You really get beaten over the head with apologies in politics now,” Cuomo added.
