Bill O'Reilly Has On-Air Meltdown After NewNation Host Accuses Him of 'Blaming the Voters' — as He Calls Out Republicans for Failing to 'Tackle Affordability'
Bill O'Reilly clashed with NewsNation host Leland Vittert.
Oct. 28 2026, Published 7:35 p.m. ET
Bill O’Reilly clashed with NewsNation host Leland Vittert after the host challenged his explanation for why Democrats and left-wing candidates still have a path in the midterm elections.
On the October 26 episode, O’Reilly argued that many Americans are politically disengaged and do not grasp the consequences of supporting Democrats, RadarOnline can report.
'I Am Blaming the Voters'
O’Reilly called out politically disengaged voters.
When Vittert observed, “That sounds an awful lot like like blaming the voters,” O’Reilly replied directly, “I am blaming the voters!”
Vittert pressed him on Republican shortcomings, asking whether the party’s own deficits and failures were creating an opening for more radical candidates.
O’Reilly acknowledged Republicans were imperfect but insisted the choice was clear.
“It’s a matter of who’s going to do the most damage, Leland!” he said.
Affordability Fight
O'Reilly claimed the Democrats have 'never attacked affordability.'
O’Reilly also attacked Democratic politicians' talk about affordability.
“One party is telling you that we’re going to tackle affordability, and then they have no plan to do that! And historically the Democratic Party has NEVER attacked affordability. It always raises taxes,” he said.
Vittert countered that financial pain was real for many Americans.
“I think there’s a lot of Americans who out there are saying, ‘I’m hurting.’ And there’s only one party saying, ‘We understand that you’re hurting and we’re going to do something about it,’” he said.
Trump Says He Doesn't 'Give a D---'
Donald Trump has made controversial statements about affordability.
He also played a clip of President Donald Trump saying he didn’t “give a d--” about Americans concerned about gas prices. He asked whether voters might turn to Democrats because they believe the president does not care about them.
O’Reilly dismissed that framing, saying Americans were being “bamboozled by most of the corporate media and a lot of the social media.”
He argued that lower prices in one area could be wiped out by higher taxes elsewhere: “It doesn’t make any difference if you lower the price of milk and you raise your property tax 3 percent. You’re down.”
'France on Steroids'
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O'Reilly took aim at sports betting.
O’Reilly further blamed digital distractions and sports betting for declining attention to politics.
“Fewer and fewer people are paying attention; that’s the simple answer to it,” he said. “They’re lost in their cyber world and lost in their sports betting – they’re watching four athletic contests a day and, once in a while, they turn over to the Vittert program or whatever, and get a snippet of this or a snippet of that.”
In a separate post on his website, O’Reilly warned that left-wing policies could increase taxes and government control.
“In my estimation, the radicals have a chance,” he wrote. “If we embrace the French model, you won’t like it.”
He added, “I’m worried about the country because if the voters in the country are this dumb, that they don’t know what’s coming around a pike… Oh my God, we’re in for France on steroids, we’re going to be France if this continues.”
He also said the midterms would ultimately be about Trump.
“I believe most Americans have made up their minds. There is going to be the crew that hates Trump and the crew that likes Trump. And, isn’t this interesting, this midterm is going to be about Trump. That’s what it’s going to be about.”
