Fox host Eric Bolling: Why did NBC cut Donald Trump when Al Sharpton works there?

Fox News host Eric Bolling came to Donald Trump's defense following NBC's announcement on Monday that it was severing all ties with the reality TV star and GOP presidential candidate.

"NBC is cutting ties here after he says this one issue, which he clarified at some point," Bolling told his co-hosts on The Five. "Yet Al Sharpton, who's said far more inciteful things than Donald Trump ever said, still has a job at NBC. That's foolish."

The split between the network and Trump, who hosted the reality show Celebrity Apprentice, comes amid ongoing criticism of the candidate's describing undocumented immigrants as "rapists" and criminals during his campaign launch event earlier this month.

Bolling, who has lobbied for a spot on the show in the past, did not mention that Trump's "clarification" was to double down on his remarks and to claim that "Latinos love Trump."

Panelist Geraldo Rivera, a former contestant on Trump's show, took issue with host Tom Shillue saying he did not take the real estate mogul's campaign seriously. Rivera argued that Trump should get credit for revitalizing parts of New York City.

"Still, he broke my heart with this thing," Rivera added. "I cannot begin to tell you how hurtful his comments about Mexican immigrants. However you feel about undocumented immigrants, every poll says they commit fewer crimes than [US] citizens."

Latino communities, Rivera said, have panned what he called Trump's "preposterous" remarks. Moreover, he said, Trump has been reticent to appear on his radio show to address them.

While Bolling was quick to call NBC "fools" for their decision, citing the show's ratings, host Dana Perino said the network and Trump should have made a clean split before the controversy began.

"When you talk about Sharpton -- Lord knows we've talked about him enough on the show -- he's not running for president," Perino said. "Once you announce you're running for president, everything changes."

Watch the discussion, as posted online on Monday, below.