Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Bill O'Reilly and Trump: America 'Not So Innocent'

Here's video of Bill O'Reilly's interview with President Donald Trump, aired during the Super Bowl pregame show.


BILL O'REILLY: Putin's a killer.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: A lot of killers, got a lot of killers. What? You think our country's so innocent? Do you think our country's so innocent?

O'REILLY: I don't know of any government leaders that are killers in America.

TRUMP: Well, take a look at what we've done, too. We've made a lot of mistakes. I've been against the war in Iraq from the beginning.

O'REILLY: Mistakes are different than...

TRUMP: There's a lot of mistakes. OK, but a lot of people were killed. So, a lot of killers around, believe me.

When I saw the tease for this interview and the "America's not so innocent" comment, I was interested in hearing the complete context. Was Trump's remark really that bad?

Turns out, it was.

Of course, the United States has made mistakes, but I don't appreciate Trump channeling his inner Obama. I don't want to hear echoes of the Obama apology tour.

I think world leaders should respect each other for the roles they occupy in their countries. It's not wrong for Trump to say he respects Putin. It would be inappropriate for Trump to say he doesn't respect Putin. That wouldn't ease world tensions.

However, brutal dictators should not be equated with other leaders.

Yes, the United States has been responsible for killing many people in wartime. That's not the same as rounding people up and murdering them, stifling dissent, that sort of thing.


Trump has a problem with failing to flesh out his remarks. He spurts out things that require further clarification.

Yes, we're not so innocent and we have a history of mistakes. He didn't balance that with our intentions, noting that we strive for liberty and justice for all. Putin isn't exactly the poster boy for freedom.






No comments: