The O'Reilly Factor Grants Trump A Primetime Phone Interview As He Faces Criticism For Phone Interviews

Many News Shows Have Refused To Grant Trump Phone Interviews

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor granted Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump a nearly ten minute primetime interview, despite recent backlash against Trump's reliance of phone interviews to control the narrative. Media critics have highlighted how Trump's phone interviews have allowed him to “become his own executive producer,” and "dominate a day" without “leaving Trump Tower.” The growing backlash against Trump's overreliance on phone interviews have led both Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace and Meet the Press' Chuck Todd to refuse to grant Trump's requests for phone interviews. From the March 28 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

ERIC BOLLING (GUEST HOST): I have to get this question in, because I've been thinking about it for months now. Donald, one word, is it better to be loved or feared?

DONALD TRUMP: Well, I'd rather be respected than both. You want to be respected, and I think that's what's happened, and that's why I'm by far the number one front-runner.