On Monday night, Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly appeared on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote his latest book “Killing Reagan” and the late night comedian insisted that O’Reilly was the only “person that can beat Donald Trump.”
After Kimmel argued that he didn’t think “Marco Rubio could beat Donald Trump” the late night host proclaimed his support for O’Reilly to take on the billionaire and wondered “Bill O'Reilly, versus Donald Trump, who wins the Republican nomination?”
The Fox News host refused to answer the question but he did acknowledge that he’s a “good debater” who “always put[s] myself up against the people who are in place. I interviewed President Obama three times. I interviewed President Bush three times. Now with the president you have to be a little careful.”
O’Reilly insisted that he could “hold my own” against Trump in a debate and unlike when he interviews a president, he wouldn’t be afraid to challenge the GOP frontrunner:
But with everybody else you can say, hey listen you pinhead, you're not telling the truth, alright? And of course I do. But I think I could hold my own in a debate against Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden or any of the Republicans because it's my job to know what's going on, and I am -- I'm a solution-driven guy. This is how you solve the problem.
Kimmel reiterated his belief that O’Reilly would be the best man to take on Trump and ended the segment by warning Trump “I’d be very, very friendly to you over the coming months, I’ll tell you that.”
See relevant transcript below.
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live
September 22, 2015
JIMMY KIMMEL: Jimmy: I don't think Marco Rubio could beat Donald Trump. I don't think any -- there's only one person that I think can beat Donald Trump and I think it's you actually. I do. [ Cheers and applause ] I’m not kidding. Obviously it's not something you're interested in or you would have done it already. But do you think you, Bill O'Reilly, versus Donald Trump, who wins the Republican nomination?
BILL O’REILLY: You know kook, I don't know about that. All I know is that I'm a good debater. And I always put myself up against the people who are in place. I interviewed President Obama three times. I interviewed President Bush three times. Now with the president you have to be a little careful.
KIMMEL: Sure.
O’REILLY: There's a line you can't cross because of the office. But with everybody else you can say, hey listen you pinhead, you're not telling the truth, alright? And of course I do. But I think I could hold my own in a debate against Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden or any of the Republicans because it's my job to know what's going on, and I am -- I'm a solution-driven guy. This is how you solve the problem. Some of Trump's solutions are pretty good.
KIMMEL: If I was Donald Trump I'd be very, very friendly to you over the coming months, I’ll tell you that.
