This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," February 23, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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Now, for the top story reaction, he is here in New York City, former presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani, who has dealt with the press and me for decades. All right. Anything wrong with that MSNBC exchange with Trump.
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: No. No, no. I am sure I had exchanges like that as well. I mean, that is perfectly normal. And, you are absolutely right. The question is are they in the tank for you or not?
Are they going to ask you the tough questions even though you have a friendly relationship or are they going to just, you know, all over you? I always liked being asked with tough questions. In fact, if I got asked the tough questions, I was able to give the voters the tough answers.
O'REILLY: Yes, but sometimes you got a little testy with us when we are giving you a hard time about stuff.
GIULIANI: I was Christie before Christie.
O'REILLY: Yes. You were pretty straightforward. And, again, I apologize. Mika Brezinski, right? I am sorry. I known her for a long time. The problem with this whole thing is, though, with television news, rating is special. And, particularly with Mr. Trump, I am sure everybody should know this. He brings in numbers.
GIULIANI: Absolutely.
O'REILLY: OK. So, everybody is trying to get him. And, Trump is aware of that. Very well aware. Now, you are an advisor to Trump.
GIULIANI: Informal advisor.
O'REILLY: Informal.
GIULIANI: As well as other candidates.
O'REILLY: He calls you up like 3:00 in the morning, right?
GIULIANI: No. Never at 3:00. Donald gets a good night sleep.
O'REILLY: He is a vampire. Do not give me that he calls you and asks you certain questions. You do not have any compunction in giving him advice, correct?
GIULIANI: That is right. Sometimes he takes it. Sometimes he does not.
O'REILLY: Is that (INAUDIBLE)
GIULIANI: No. I have also spoken to Jeb Bush, Chris Christie when he was a candidate. Rubio, one candidate today, I will not mention because of private conversation. So, I talk.
O'REILLY: So, anybody who calls you.
GIULIANI: You and I like Donald? Yes, he has been a friend for 25 years. And, I would call him a personal friend, absolutely.
O'REILLY: Yes. And, I have known him for a long time, too. And, I do not mind answering questions about politicians calling me off camera.
GIULIANI: Right. Right.
O'REILLY: I am respectful to them. And, I will give them an honest answer. But, we will give them favorable treatment. And, I do see a tendency here on a part of some T.V. people to try to curry favor not only with Donald Trump but with Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, whoever maybe to get what they call the get.
GIULIANI: Right.
O'REILLY: You know? And, I talked to Barbara Walters a lot about this because she was a master. A master with this.
GIULIANI: Yes.
O'REILLY: All right. To try to butter up people --
GIULIANI: Right. Barbara, I did a number of interviews with Barbara abnd she -- when I was mayor and she would do exactly that. But then --
O'REILLY: Because she would hammer you when she got you.
GIULIANI: Right in the middle of the interview.
O'REILLY: Right. She would but butter you up first.
GIULIANI: 10-minute interview. 8 minutes beautiful.
O'REILLY: Right, and then wham. And, that is what you would see.
GIULIANI: The 8 minutes, it was the question you never wanted to be asked by anybody. Boom! And, that is what you see on ABC the other 8 minutes is gone.
(LAUGHING)
O'REILLY: All right. But, you know, what I am talking about. There is a big danger here for favoring one candidate or another, because they bring in ratings. And, I am keeping an eye on everybody.
Part of my job is to, actually, watch the media in this country not just the politicians. Now, we had a situation today where President Obama is basically not going to be able to nominate a Supreme Court Justice. You are aware of this, right?
GIULIANI: Of course.
O'REILLY: OK. The senate judiciary committee came flat out and said, "We are not going to take any of his nominees." What do you think about that?
GIULIANI: Well, I think President Obama created this situation for himself, with taking so many executive actions that are unconstitutional, disregarding congress; treating congress as if it does not exist; having several court cases that have now overturned his executive action.
O'REILLY: So, this is pay back?
GIULIANI: No. I think it is congress saying, "Why are we wasting time? We are going to send us somebody we are not going to confirm anyway."
O'REILLY: Would not it be better for the Republican Party.
GIULINI: You want my strategy?
O'REILLY: Yes.
GIULIANI: If McConnell would called me first, I would have taken it.
O'REILLY: Yes. Let him put him up.
GIULIANI: And, I would voted him down.
(LAUGHING)
O'REILLY: Well, but I do not think you would --
GIULIANI: Eventually.
O'REILLY: I do not think you would have voted him down or her down if it was a good judge.
GIULIANI: No, no. Not if it was a good judge.
O'REILLY: I mean, you know.
GIULIANI: But with the election so close, I probably would apply a much higher standard to what a good judge is. And, also, I would be very aware of the fact that we are a 4-4 court right now. And, this appointment could --
O'REILLY: I do not want an ideological judge. I do not want another Kennedy. I do not want another ideological judge.
GIULIANI: But, I would be afraid that Obama would try to slip in ideological judge.
O'REILLY: Right. But, right now, everybody should know.
GIULIANI: Actually, McConnell's answer should have been. It is too early to talk about this. One of our great justices just died.
O'REILLY: Yes. Let us let it breath for a little while.
GIULIANI: For the next week, let us just -- how about we just think about Nina Scalia for the next week?
O'REILLY: But, Americans should know behind the scenes, the republican party has decided, "We are not going to take a nominee." "I mean, you can put them up, but we are not voting on him on the judiciary committee." If I get to the floor and that is it.
GIULIANI: They have a right to do that.
O'REILLY: They do.
GIULIANI: They have the same constitutional right he has.
O'REILLY: And, I do not think it is going to be an issue in the Presidential campaign. Now, last question, Trump versus Hillary. You know them both. If Hillary calls you for advice, are you going to give it to her?
GIULIANI: Well, first of all, I do not think she will call me for advice.
O'REILLY: Why? Does she not like you?
GIULIANI: I think she thinks we are such different political positions. Hillary has never called me for advice. Actually, when she was senator, she did several times when I was the mayor.
O'REILLY: Yes. I thought you had a pretty good relationship with her.
GIULIANI: And I do have a good relationship with her and I like her and I like Bill. But, she would not be likely to call me for advice, because I would give her just the opposite advice of everything she is doing. Donald and I probably agree on 80 percent of the things.
O'REILLY: Yes.
GIULIANI: As I do with most of --
O'REILLY: You both Yankee fans, right?
GIULIANI: We are both Yankee fans.
O'REILLY: All right.
GIULIANI: And, my rule, I work for President Reagan. My 80 percent friend is not my 20 percent enemy.
O'REILLY: Right.
GIULIANI: So, we can disagree on 20 percent.
O'REILLY: So Trump versus Hillary?
GIULIANI: Trump for sure.
O'REILLY: That is who you will support.
GIULIANI: Of course.
O'REILLY: Who will win?
GIULIANI: I think he will win.
O'REILLY: You do?
GIULIANI: Because I think if he gets the nomination there is something going on here. Some magic going on here that none of us have gotten from the very beginning.
O'REILLY: And, he will probably lean on you a lot if he gets the nomination.
GIULIANI: If he gets the nomination.
O'REILLY: Yes?
GIULIANI: There is something going on that he caught that nobody else caught. Because six months ago, everybody was waiting for him to implode.
O'REILLY: Not me.
GIULIANI: Not me either.
O'REILLY: I did the first interview when he announced and I knew he is going to be -- because I knew the anger out there. All right, Mr. Mayor, we appreciate you coming in. Your candor as always. Thank you.
GIULIANI: Thank you.
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