WATCH: Even Bill O'Reilly wonders whether Donald Trump's "hot rhetoric" is "contributing to the demonization of all Muslims"

Trump insisted he has many Muslim friends -- who need to report any suspicious activities or face the consequences

Published June 14, 2016 11:37AM (EDT)

Bill O'Reilly, Donald Trump (Credit: Fox News)
Bill O'Reilly, Donald Trump (Credit: Fox News)

On The O'Reilly Factor Monday evening, Bill O'Reilly spoke to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee about statements he made to multiple news outlets concerning both a ban on Muslim immigration and the responsibilities of those in the Muslim community to "report" suspicious activities.

As for the immigration restrictions, O'Reilly said that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party oppose them on humanitarian grounds, to which Trump replied that the problem with that is "there's no paperwork, there's no documentation. They think everyone's going to be beautiful [because] these people tell everybody how wonderful they are -- and they'll come in and blow up a club like they blew up over the weekend." (It bears repeating that the Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, was an American citizen who lived in Fort Pierce, Florida.)

O'Reilly countered that Trump seems to be "conflating refugees and radicals," and asked him whether his "hot rhetoric" could be "contributing to the demonization of Muslims."

Trump said the opposite was, in fact, true -- and that his "many incredible Muslim friends" were calling him constantly to thank him for taking this hard-line position against those who share their faith. Presumably, these same friends are fine with "reporting" on their fellow Muslims if they spot them behaving suspiciously.

"They [have] got to report them," Trump said, "because the Muslims are the ones who see what's going on, [so] the Muslims are the ones that have to report them. If they don't, there have to be consequences."

Watch both parts of the interview below via Fox News.


By Scott Eric Kaufman

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Bill O'reilly Donald Trump Elections 2016 Fox News Orlando Massacre The O'reilly Factor Video