Bill O’Reilly Attacks ‘Dopey’ Trump

In a rare public rebuke, longtime conservative pundit Bill O’Reilly unloaded on President Donald Trump Monday night over what he called a “disrespectful” and “dopey” AI-generated image of Trump dressed as the pope—posted just days after Pope Francis’ funeral.

“There’s no excuse for that,” O’Reilly said during an appearance on NewsNation’s On Balance with Leland Vittert. “The guy just died. What are we doing here?”

The controversial image—posted to Trump’s Truth Social account on May 2—depicted the president wearing full papal regalia, including a mitre, standing in a golden glow. Trump reportedly joked to aides that he’d make “a better pope than most,” according to PBS. The image appeared less than a week after Trump and First Lady Melania attended Pope Francis’ funeral in Vatican City.

O’Reilly wasn’t laughing.

“It’s not just tone-deaf—it’s offensive,” he said. “If I had been asked—and I wasn’t—I would’ve told him to keep that in the drafts folder.”

The image has sparked fury across religious and political lines. The New York State Catholic Conference issued a rare public condemnation, stating: “There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. We just buried our beloved Pope Francis. Do not mock us.”

Even fellow Republicans were stunned. GOP strategist Karl Rove blasted Trump’s post during a Fox News Sunday segment, calling it “deeply offensive to a great many people, especially devout Catholics who helped him win in 2016 and 2020.”

Despite the criticism, Trump doubled down. “Some people just can’t take a joke,” he told PBS on Monday. He later denied posting the image himself, saying, “That’s not me that did it,” although it appeared on his verified account.

O’Reilly didn’t buy it—and suggested there’s something off about the president lately.

“He looks tired. And when he gets tired, he says things that hurt him,” O’Reilly said. “There’s no filter. No prep. He just speaks—and sometimes the result is chaos.”

That lack of discipline, O’Reilly argued, is becoming more apparent as Trump faces economic backlash over his escalating trade war with China.

In April, Trump slapped a sweeping 145% import tariff on Chinese goods. CEOs of major U.S. retailers have warned that the move could lead to skyrocketing prices and empty shelves.

But Trump brushed it off during a Cabinet meeting last week: “Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” he said. “And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more.”

O’Reilly didn’t hold back.

“There’s no real strategy behind these kinds of statements,” he said. “Donald Trump doesn’t do message discipline. He’s said whatever he wants to say since he was seven years old. That hasn’t changed.”

While O’Reilly offered a charitable interpretation—that Trump was trying to signal sacrifice for economic gain—he admitted, “Who the deuce knows? The worst part was still the pope picture. That was really beyond the pale.”

Context: A Fracturing Alliance

“It’s not personal,” O’Reilly said. “But if he wants to win again—or even just be remembered well—he needs to stop doing things like this.”

Trump’s Catholic support has been a crucial part of his base. In 2020, Pew Research showed 50% of American Catholics voted for Trump. Whether they’ll stick with him in 2028, especially after this, remains to be seen.

“Mocking a pope days after his funeral?” one Catholic voter told The Washington Post. “That’s not leadership. That’s cruelty wrapped in narcissism.”

Is Trump losing his touch—or simply refusing to evolve? O’Reilly’s verdict was blunt: “It’s not just bad politics. It’s bad character.”

Do you think Trump crossed a line?