Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly says President-elect Trump is preparing to radically reshape his potential second administration by centralizing policy-making power within the White House and selecting Cabinet members who will strictly follow directives.
During a Wednesday interview on NewsNation’s “CUOMO,” the political commentator compared Trump’s approach to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s leadership style, suggesting the president-elect will create a tightly controlled governing structure where Cabinet members serve primarily as executors of his policy.
“The people that do department heads are going to say ‘yes, sir’ or they’re not going to be OK,” O’Reilly said, highlighting that policy will be primarily developed by senior adviser Stephen Miller, whom he described as “the most powerful man in the country, beside Donald Trump.”
Trump has selected several controversial nominees who have faced significant scrutiny.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Pa.), picked for attorney general, previously faced a Justice Department sex trafficking investigation involving allegations about underage girls, though no federal charges were filed. Democrats on the House Ethics Committee failed on Wednesday to bring the report to the public.
Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who recently joined the Republican Party and is slated for director of national intelligence, has alarmed U.S. intelligence analysts due to her past criticisms of the war in Ukraine and comments perceived as supportive of Russia, and due to secret meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth, nominated for defense secretary, was accused of sexual assault in 2017, though he was not charged after a police investigation.
O’Reilly contrasted this approach with previous Republican administrations, such as those of former Presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, where Cabinet members wielded significant policy influence.
He also drew a parallel to President Biden’s administration, suggesting similar centralized control.
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