Former Fox News host Eric Bolling, who is working with the White House to raise awareness about the dangers of opioids, said Wednesday that President Trump reached out to him at a moment of deep despair after the death of Mr. Bolling’s son from an accidental overdose.
Mr. Bolling’s son, Eric, died at age 19 in September after taking Xanax laced with fentanyl.
As the Thanksgiving holiday approached, Mr. Bolling said, the loss was hitting his family especially hard.
“We’re about to sit down to the Thanksgiving table, and there’s an empty chair right there, Eric’s chair,” Mr. Bolling recalled on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show. “I’m seeing it happening — the turkey’s on the table, and we’re walking over there, and it’s going to be really bad. And the phone rings, and it’s Trump who says, ’You know, Eric, I understand this is the first holiday without him. I wanted you to know we’re thinking about you.’ “
“He cares about this issue,” Mr. Bolling said of the president. “The guy has empathy and compassion for this.”
Mr. Bolling met last month with Mr. Trump and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, who has been leading the White House’s response to the opioid epidemic, to discuss ways to promote awareness.
SEE ALSO: Opioids crisis costs estimated $1 trillion from 2001-2017
The president’s budget for fiscal 2019, released Monday, seeks about $13 billion over the next two years for opioid-related programs.
Mr. Bolling was fired from Fox News over sexual harassment allegations just hours before his son was found dead.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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