"FOX & Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade’s latest book, "The President and the Freedom Fighter," could help teach Americans how to have civil discourse when they gather for the holidays.
The book dives into the unique and unlikely friendship between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two American icons who believed slavery needed to end but disagreed on a host of other issues. They set aside their differences to work together on a common goal, something Kilmeade believes many Americans should do nowadays as the country faces political division.
"These smart people can evolve in their life. Why can't we be a little bit more amenable to the friend across the street, your brother down the block, or the politician you're debating?" Kilmeade asked during an interview with Fox News Digital.
HOW LINCOLN, DOUGLASS EMERGED TO REUNIFY AMERICA IN 'THE PRESIDENT AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTER'
"There's nothing wrong with that," he said. "You're not a hypocrite to learn, and it's not bad to interact."
Kilmeade believes that Lincoln and Douglass were "very different," but modern Americans could learn a great lesson from the story of how they worked together.
"What I learned from them is they listen. And if you are secure in your ideas, you're not worried to hear somebody else's side. The people that jump right down your throat, don't let you finish and want to dictate to you what they think, you're probably not going to change their mind, or you're going to enjoy their company," Kilmeade said.
"So, sit at a different part of the table, engage people when engaged, and be willing to listen. But mostly, I just find that there's always people smarter than you, but if you put the time in to research – don't read the columnists and watch the station you agree with – listen to what other people have to say," he continued. "All of a sudden… you might go, ‘I agree with that, or ‘I have more perspective on where people are coming from.'"
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"The President and the Freedom Fighter," already a New York Times hardcover bestseller, is now available in paperback with an all-new epilogue. Kilmeade has authored five New York Times bestsellers that have been purchased by over 2.5 million readers worldwide while simultaneously co-hosting "FOX & Friends," "One Nation With Brian Kilmeade," and "The Brian Kilmeade Show" on Fox News Radio.
But Kilmeade still insists he "doesn’t have the credentials" to write definitive biographies that historians such as Jon Meacham and Carl Sandburg have penned about Lincoln. Instead of attempting to deliver definitive biographies, Kilmeade hopes to find largely forgotten parts of American history and turn them into dynamic stories that leave the readers wanting to learn even more.
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"If I bring something new, or when you close Douglass and Lincoln – ‘The President and the Freedom Fighter,’ and you go, ‘I've got to go get Douglass, his autobiography. I got to go get John Meacham's recent release biography on Lincoln, or Carl Sandburg's thoroughly comprehensive biography on Lincoln,’ which launched this project in my mind. Then I think I've done my job," Kilmeade said.
"I built the book around the quotes from his speeches, I read every one of his speeches… three versions of his autobiography and built it around his thoughts, not my thoughts about his thoughts," Kilmeade continued. "So that's why I think people should feel good about the content."
"The President and the Freedom Fighter" is available where books are sold.
