Donald Trump reportedly 'has something' on Vladimir Putin

The Trump name has been plastered across headlines recently as Donald has been found guilty of fraud and Melania launches an unexpected Christmas decorations line. Now there’s another reason for Trump headlines: a source close to Trump says the former president managed to control the Russian President Vladimir Putin because he ‘has something’ on him.

This comes from conservative political commentator Bill O’Reilly, who is best known for hosting the Fox News programme The O’Reilly Factor. In an interview with Tucker Carlson, posted on X on Wednesday 27 September, Bill O’Reilly alleged that the former US president used something he knew about Putin to keep the Russian president in check during his time in the White House.

What O’Reilly said about Trump and Putin

Since Carlson shared the clip, it has racked up over 9.1 million views. According to O’Reilly:

He was an effective president… He's a populist, not a conservative, doesn't have any of that stuff going on. It's deal after deal after deal after deal.

O’Reilly, 74, explained that this is how Trump, 77, managed his relationship with Russia during his presidency. He told Carlson:

He won't tell me what he has on Putin. But I know he has something.

How O’Reilly knows Trump

The interview was aired as the second Republican presidential primary debate was showing on Fox News, the former employer of both O’Reilly and Carlson. Trump did not attend this debate, and his competitors took the opportunity to criticise his arrogance. Notably, Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie told him that if he keeps ‘ducking these things’ then:

no one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore. They’re gonna call you Donald Duck.

O’Reilly is an old friend of Trump’s, and wrote a book called The United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees America that came out in 2019. The work was pitched as an ‘insider’s look at the life of Donald Trump’ and included interviews with Donald Trump as well as his children.

Donald Trump Jr. is quoted in the work:

I don't second-guess because there's always a method to the madness with him.

It does seem that O’Reilly and Trump are actually friends: in 2021, O’Reilly and Trump went on The History Tour together, which saw the two men discussing the history of the Trump administration with audiences across America.

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Sources used:

Newsweek: Donald Trump 'Has Something' on Putin to Control Him—Bill O'Reilly

Politico: Christie doubles down after Trump ‘Donald Duck’ comment