Trump Defends Bill O’Reilly on Sexual Harassment Charges: ‘He Shouldn’t Have Settled’

The New York Times says Fox News and O’Reilly have settled five sexual harassment against the TV host

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Donald Trump has defended Bill O’Reilly in regards to his multiple sexual harassment settlements, and POTUS added that he believes “The O’Reilly Factor” host “shouldn’t have settled.”

“I think he’s a person I know well — he is a good person,” Trump said during in an interview in the Oval Office on Wednesday, according to the New York Times.

“I think he shouldn’t have settled; personally I think he shouldn’t have settled,” added Trump. “Because you should have taken it all the way. I don’t think Bill did anything wrong.”

On Saturday, The New York Times reported that Fox News and O’Reilly have ponied up a whopping $13 million to settle five sexual harassment settlements against the TV host. O’Reilly has denied all allegations.

Two of the cases were previously known, including a high-profile 2004 settlement with former producer Andrea Mackris and a settlement in January with former on-air host Juliet Huddy.

Following the news, two big advertisers of “The O’Reilly Factor” dropped out: Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai. Since then, at least 20 advertisers have withdrawn support, including Lexus, Bayer, Wayfair and Coldwell Banker.

Hyundai announced early Tuesday that it would remove upcoming ads from the embattled host’s Fox News show due to “recent and disturbing allegations,” according to CNN.

On Monday, luxury car company Mercedes-Benz announced that it was pulling its ads from Fox News’ ratings juggernaut “The O’Reilly Factor,” calling the allegations against the host “disturbing.”

It’s unclear what these latest developments mean for the future of the show. “The O’Reilly Factor” has been cable news’ top show for years, generating hundreds of millions in ad revenue.

Fox News has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.

 

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