Who is Really Behind the Hateful Rhetoric in America?
By: Bill O'ReillyAugust 6, 2019
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Bill O'Reilly here for Newsmax and this is the Talking Points Memo. 

On my national radio program, The O'Reilly Update, I did a long analysis of hateful rhetoric in the USA - and there is plenty of it, as you know.

The genesis of the hateful rhetoric in the last three years was the ascension of Donald Trump to power.

Before that, there was hateful rhetoric directed at President Obama, President Bush the Younger but it wasn't nearly what it is today.

So we have two mass shootings over the weekend, and right away the hate-Trump people blame the president for those murders. That is grossly unfair.

In fact, it's revolting, and I say that with no ideology.

I'm not rooting for anyone, just as a human being, as an American citizen. Grossly unfair.

Now, the hateful rhetoric began in the campaign when Donald Trump basically slashed and burned his way to the nomination by calling other Republicans, white guys. Little Marco, lying Ted, that kind of thing. 

President Trump believes, and you will see this in my upcoming book, The United States of Trump, that the best way to win is to personalize your opponent, in a negative way most of the time. And that's what he does.

Is that hateful? Sometimes it is. Sometimes it is. There's no doubt about it. 

So, President Trump has some blame, if you will, for the rhetoric situation we have in the United States. 

However, once the president won, he was fairly gracious to Hillary Clinton, to Barack Obama when they made the transition. There wasn't a lot of angst. He wasn't acting out. 

He was basically assuming power, but the American press hated him - and I use that word "hate" literally. And did everything they could to marginalize, embarrass and subsequently try to destroy Donald Trump. 

He fought back and the rest is history. You know what happened.

Then the Democratic Party basically said you know what, if the media is going to hate him like this, we'll do it too, because there are no constraints.

We can hate Donald Trump as much as we want. We'll never get criticized for doing it.

So, there was like an alliance formed. The Democratic Party and the national media will both hate Trump.

So how did the president respond? Like he always does. He hated back. He hit back.

Now, I've talked to him about this personally, man to man, and he says to me, look if I don't protect myself, who's going to? The press isn't. So, I'm going to allow myself to be a pinata and get bashed every day without response?

Donald Trump's never gonna do that and I don't blame him. I don't blame him. There is a way to do it, particularly when you're President of the United States.

I’d tamp down the personal stuff, and I told him that.

But the rhetoric directed at Donald Trump is a thousand times more hateful then what Mr. Trump gives back, and then when you're analyzing Donald Trump's political rhetoric, it's all been taken out of context. 

There's an interesting thing on Prager University, you know Dennis Prager? Go to his website about the Charlottesville situation - and I write out this extensively in the United States of Trump. I document it so there's no doubt. But Prager basically puts forth, this is the biggest lie in America today. What Donald Trump said about Charlottesville, Virginia.

So, look whether you agree with that or not, it's worth reading or seeing what Prager is saying. But there is no question that the hateful rhetoric is now fueled by a hateful press and media. That's who's driving this train. 

Now, I don't believe in blaming anybody for mass murder. That's not fair. But we as Americans should be a fair people.

You want hate? Look at the New York Times, The Washington Post, listen to CNN, NBC News. Every single day you got hate.

That is the Talking Points Memo.