All the negative press Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is facing lately is the result of a national press out to get him and "not looking out" for the American public. That's according to Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly.

On his show Tuesday, O'Reilly said Trump is getting a raw deal from the national press because he isn't "cowering before them."

"He has no fear," said O'Reilly, who has been known to attend sporting events with Trump. "He could not care less about censoring himself and the press does not intimidate him. So because of that approach, the media believe they must punish Mr. Trump for being disrespectful and not cowering before them. Plus, they don't like his politics, generally speaking."

Controversy erupted this week after Trump, speaking at an event in Iowa over the weekend, questioned the legitimacy of Vietnam vet and Republican Arizona Senator John McCain as a "war hero." At the time, Trump was reacting to McCain, who had referred to Trump supporters as "crazies."

Political commentators and some of Trump's rivals for the GOP presidential nomination called on the real estate mogul to abandon his campaign but Trump, who is at or near the top in some national polls, stood by his comment.

"The press [is] a very powerful force in America, given special privilege by the Founding Fathers," O'Reilly said. "And if the press deem someone unworthy, they will try to destroy that person. That's where Donald Trump finds himself today."

O'Reilly asserted that Trump's treatment by the press is proof that the national news media are generally "not looking out" for the public. "They have an agenda, these people, and they often use that agenda in corrupt ways," he said. "You as a media consumer should walk away when you see that happen."