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Bill O'Reilly: Donald Trump's presidential campaign is 'good for America'

Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly discusses Donald Trump and his newest book, "Killing Reagan."
/ Source: TODAY

Bill O'Reilly described Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as “good for politics in America” because of the way the media mogul has made the nation stand at attention to what is happening in the government.

“Everybody else is bashing the hell out of Donald Trump. That’s the chic thing to do,” the Fox News commentator said Tuesday on TODAY. “But he has engaged people. He has forced people to pay attention, and they are paying attention, and that is good for America.”

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O’Reilly predicted that Trump will be “competitive” six months down the line but said there were too many variables that would determine whether he would retain his frontrunner status.

O’Reilly also addressed a series of critical tweets Trump posted Monday night about him, particularly for hosting Charles Krauthammer and Brit Hume on his show.

O'Reilly laughed off the criticism.

"That’s like the worst thing you can give Donald Trump is this tweeting thing," he said. "I just think this is an extension of his reality show, 'The Apprentice.' This is just theater right now. He gets a lot of attention from the theater."

O'Reilly also appeared later on the show to discuss his newest book, "Killing Reagan," the latest in his series of books that take on the deaths of historical figures, including Abraham Lincoln and Jesus.

Follow TODAY.com writer Eun Kyung Kim on Twitter.