Why Geraldo Rivera's Political Plans Are Causing A Stir

Geraldo Rivera has been a fixture in the media since the '70s, and was a friend of Donald Trump's long before he became president. Although the Fox News correspondent supported Trump for years, he felt Trump losing the 2020 election made him "crazy," as per The Hill.

The television personality was vocal about his displeasure towards Trump's actions after the incumbent president lost to Joe Biden. Following the storming of Capitol Hill, Rivera posted a two-minute video on Twitter where he said Trump was not beyond redemption, but accused him of inciting the riot. "He threatened the institutions of the American government itself, the republic of the United States," River added. "And he has to apologize to that before he gets me back." That was not the first time Rivera called out his friend. On Dec. 26, 2020, Rivera tweeted: "Sadly he lost a bitterly contested election. S**t happens. However since he has behaved like an entitled frat boy."

Since denouncing the one-term president, Rivera hinted at making a foray into politics himself. This would not be the first time the talk show host considered running for office. In 2014, he debated running for the senate in New Jersey. As per The Hill, Rivera said on his popular radio show that he wanted to run as a Republican against Cory Booker, who was the mayor of Newark at the time.

That run never came to fruition, but Rivera rekindled his political aspirations in March 2021.

On Mar. 10, 2021, Geraldo Rivera announced he was considering running for senate in Ohio to fill the vacated seat of Republican Sen. Rob Portman who, as per The Hill, was retiring. "Pondering running for retiring @senrobportman seat in United States Senate. #GoBuckeyes," Rivera tweeted out.

Speaking to The Plain Dealer, the Fox News correspondent offered some insight on his potential political plans. Rivera told the publication that he would first embark on a "listening tour" to engage with voters and test the waters before officially running. If the television icon did run, he would finance the first part of his campaign himself. "It'd scare the bejesus out of the Democrats and the far-right wing of the Republican Party," Rivera told the outlet.

Rivera also mentioned Donald Trump when speaking to The Plain Dealer. The former Geraldo host described Trump as both a "force of nature" and a "lifelong friend." He added that Trump would likely "approve" of Rivera's political aspirations.

Twitter users responded to Rivera's tweet with a mixed bag of support and trepidation. "We just had a TV celebrity running the country the other day. Didn't go well. What qualifies you to be a Senator?" one Twitter user asked. "Even with you being more liberal...I can honestly say you would at least listen and be fair," a follower added. "Go for it Geraldo! We, the Democrats will find the race fun and good times," another tweeted at the long-time Republican.