(NewsNation) — Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly says former President Donald Trump‘s supporters are driven by fears that progressives “don’t like America” and want to “strip it down and start again,” drawing parallels to cultural changes he observed during a recent visit to London.
During a Monday interview on NewsNation’s “On Balance,” O’Reilly rejected characterizations of Trump positioning himself as a messianic figure, instead describing Trump’s rhetoric as a calculated “power play” that resonates with voters concerned about cultural transformation.
“The MAGA people and the people who are supporting Donald Trump fear their country is being taken away from them by the progressive left, and their fears are founded,” O’Reilly said, citing concerns about border security and immigration policy.
O’Reilly compared the situation to London, where he said 45% of residents are now foreign-born, leading to a decline in traditional British culture.
He argued that Trump supporters see similar patterns in the United States and view the former president as someone who addresses their concerns “in a very direct way.”
While defending Trump’s political strategy, O’Reilly criticized aspects of his approach, saying, “I don’t think he should be demonizing migrants.” He highlighted the hard work of migrants in England.
“The migrants that are there work extremely hard … but English tradition is on the decline … and that is what the MAGA people in America do not want to see,” he said.
Trump returned Saturday to the Pennsylvania fairgrounds where he was nearly assassinated in July, urging a large crowd to deliver an Election Day victory that he tied to his survival of the shooting.
The Republican nominee picked up where he left off in July when a gunman’s bullet struck his ear. Standing behind protective glass, Trump called the would-be assassin “a vicious monster” and said he did not succeed “by the hand of providence and the grace of God.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.