O'Reilly: Trump's past mob dealings prepared him to handle Putin

Former news anchor Bill O’Reilly thinks President-elect Trump's past dealings with the mob have prepared him for tough negotiations with foreign leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

As a New York City real estate mogul, O'Reilly said Trump was willing to sit down and talk with the mob because he knew it had the power to derail his projects.

"Trump didn't break the law, but he knew that the mob controlled the cement union workers and all this other stuff," O'Reilly told NewsNation's Leland Vittert in an upcoming special, "The United States of Trump.”

O'Reilly added: "He'll talk with anybody, Trump, if he can get what he wants out of them."

That experience, he continued, could serve the president-elect well as he begins his second term next week.

"He has no compunctions," O'Reilly said. "Putin is one of the worst people on earth. Trump's got a pretty good relationship with him."

The veteran news host also thinks Trump's willingness to have difficult conversations will lead to a deal in Ukraine "fairly quickly."

Watch the full special interview with O'Reilly, who has spent countless hours with Trump over three decades, on NewsNation this Friday at 9 p.m. EST.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

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