Geraldo Rivera Reflects on Trump Friendship: ‘I Feel Awful That He Made Me Dump Him’

A couple of months after his exit from Fox News, Geraldo Rivera opened up about his departure from the network and the evolution of his relationship with former president Donald Trump. In a new interview, he spoke about the public tussles with colleagues and his feelings about his "old friend."

"I feel awful that he made me dump him," Rivera said in an interview with the New York Times, also calling Trump "crazy, really crazy" and “underrated, over-prosecuted and persecuted."

The last time Rivera spoke to Trump, whom he has known since the 1970s, was ten days after the 2020 election. He had asked around about Dominion Voting Systems and the election results at the then-president's request.

Rivera, who has been vocal about the validity of the election, attempted to call the White House to relay the lack of voter fraud. He told the NYT that Trump did not accept the call. (Trump was arrested on August 24 and charged with 13 state felony counts related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.)

Still, he has fond memories of their relationship, including when Trump refused to yell his catchphrase "You're fired!" when Rivera lost to Leeza Gibbons on Celebrity Apprentice in 2015.

"I realize that may sound small, but it meant a lot to me," Rivera said.

As for his exit from Fox News and The Five, Rivera spoke about being "read the riot act" by executives and pushed to the sidelines after public spats with other network talent like Tucker Carlson and fellow co-host Greg Outfield.

"I cashed their checks for 22 years," he said about his time at Fox, declining to go into further detail about his time (and end) there. As for his next act?

He is giving himself after Labor Day weekend to figure that out: "I'm onto a new journey."