We received about seven thousand emails commenting on Mr. Trump's decision not to attend the Republican debate in Iowa and his chat with me.

There was massive press coverage on that.  I'll run it down for you real quickly.

The CBS morning show, fair.     

ABC's Good Morning America, fair.

The Today Show used a report by Peter Alexander who said I all but begged Trump to do the debate.

MSNBC … we don't even monitor anymore.

CNN was strange.  They used their usual hatchet men to attack Fox News, but Anderson Cooper was fair.

The worst was old Bob Beckel:

BOB BECKEL, CNN ANALYST: “O’Reilly is scared to death of Megyn Kelly because Megyn’s been beating him in the ratings.  The first time that has happened since Fox has been on the air.”

Of course that is false.  

And that's why Beckel doesn't work at Fox News anymore.  He could not care less about facts.

On the newspaper side, you know, there wasn't anything horrendous.

Papers like the New York Times, the L.A. Times, the Washington Post, they don't really care for FNC or Donald Trump.

But in this case there weren't any distortions or fabrications, the kind of stuff seen on the left-wing Internet sites.

Perhaps the most interesting analysis was done by Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post.

He puts forth that Trump is so far out in front that he doesn't need any more debates.

So that's why he passed on Iowa, the excuses were all smoke.

Now it's impossible to say whether that's true but it's certainly a provocative theory.

On the viewer front, about 70% of the folks thought the interview was worthy.

Thirty percent hated it.

Sarah Skelton, Yukon, Canada: "O'Reilly I'm not sure what type of car you drive, but I'm guessing it has a Donald Trump bumper sticker on the back."

Frank Richardson, Newport News, Virginia: "Bill thanks for pressing Trump.  Based on his tirade against FNC, I will have a very difficult time supporting him."

Ann Smith, Appleton, Wisconsin: "O'Reilly, you claim America wants to get to know Trump.  Since when is that your job?"

I believe it's my job to give my opinion Ann, and that's my opinion.

Jack Faulkner, Klamath Falls, Oregon: "O'Reilly, you exposed Trump for what he really is: A vindictive person who is not presidential."

Nancy Smith, Tucson, Arizona: "Bill, it is not your job to tell Trump how to run his campaign.  He is at least as smart as you think you are."

Pam Atkinson, Florissant, Colorado: "Gallant effort, Bill, but Trump can't be rehabilitated. Narcissists only see their point of view."

Pat Hofstetter, Elburn, Illinois: "Bill, don't be a pinhead.  Trump is right in changing the status quo and not allowing ridiculous questions by debate moderators."

Ray Schenk, Roswell, Georgia: "Bill, I must compliment you on the Trump interview.  You schooled him, and he lost his powerful persona as a result of his running away from the debate."

And finally Don Newsham, Happy Jack, Arizona: "Bill, you're a wimp."

So you can see that the Trump interview sparked a tremendous amount of debate.

And that's a good thing for America because this man may get the Republican nomination.

As I said to him last night, the more folks know about the Trump candidacy, the better.

Talking Points submits to you that most Americans did not know much about Barack Obama.

Yes he was re-elected, and that's to his credit.

His skillful campaigning allowed him two terms.

But did voters really understand Mr. Obama's governing philosophy?

I don't think so.

So if Donald Trump, a private business man his whole career, is trying to gain enormous power, we the people have to pay attention.

And that was the theme of last night's interview.

By the way, even if you're calling me names I appreciate your watching The Factor and taking the time to write in.

What I don't appreciate is dishonesty by the media.

But in truth I thought I would see a lot more of that after last night's interview.

Everyone should understand that many consider FNC the most powerful news agency in the world right now.

And that leads to an enormous amount of envy.

Finally, for all you one-issue folks, I usually throw your mail in the garbage, not because of your opinion but because fanaticism is boring.

When I get mail from ardent-feminists, when I get mail from socialists or other extreme folks, it vanishes.

Maybe that's wrong, but I simply don't have time for it.

And that's the memo.