Bill O’Reilly has covered Presidential administrations for decades.
This time he got a request from one that he never expected.
And Bill O’Reilly took a secret trip to Mar-a-Lago to deliver one surprising message.
Bill O’Reilly was summoned to Mar-a-Lago for a meeting with Donald Trump
Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly has been one of the most influential political commentators in the media since the 1990s.
He is used to covering the news but he revealed that he got to be a part of it during an appearance on NewsNation’s On Balance with Leland Vittert.
President-elect Donald Trump summoned O’Reilly to come to Mar-a-Lago to meet with him and a “literal Cabinet meeting.”
The former Fox News host argued after the experience that Trump is the most prepared President to enter the White House because of his experience during his first term.
“I was on vacation out in California with my son, and I got a summons to go to Mar-a-Lago to see the President,” O’Reilly recalled. “I have met nine Presidents, Leland, this is my 50th anniversary of being in journalism, January 2025, and when the President says, hey, come on over, you go on over.”
O’Reilly changed his travel plans and arrived at Mar-a-Lago not sure why he was summoned there.
“Now, when I got there, I had no idea why I had been asked to come,” O’Reilly said. “Now, I’ve known Donald Trump 35 years, I think I amuse him at times.”
O’Reilly says the media is dead
He arrived at Mar-a-Lago for what he called a “cabinet meeting” of Trump and his team where they discussed tariffs as a method to pressure companies like Apple to move manufacturing back to the United States.
The former Fox News host had dinner with Trump where they discussed the state of the media.
O’Reilly argued Trump “killed corporate media” and told the President-elect about media he thought was “ascendent” along with outlets he thought were “through.”
He did not name any outlets he discussed with Trump.
But O’Reilly has argued in the past that corporate media outlets like CNN and MSNBC are dying a slow death while independent media like podcasts are ascending.
The meeting at Mar-a-Lago left him impressed and confident about Trump heading into his second term.
“I can tell you with certainty that 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 and to tell him what the structure was,” O’Reilly explained. “That’s gone. He knows exactly what the job is, and he knows exactly what he wants to do to fulfill his campaign promises.”
He pointed to the discussion on tariffs that he heard.
“One example: the tariffs. The tariffs are designed to get more American companies to make their stuff in the USA. That’s what they’re designed to do,” O’Reilly stated. “Particularly Apple in China, Apple, is a huge part of revitalizing the US economy, as it makes most of its products in China. Trump wants it back here. He also wants a fair deal from Europe and he is a very tough negotiator. So that’s what I walked in on, and the conversation for the next 40 minutes spanned the globe.”
Donald Trump has the wisdom of his first term to make sure his second one is a success.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
