There appears to be no end to the ongoing rift — many call it a “feud” — between Fox News’ Megyn Kelly and Republican candidate Donald Trump. Since the tumultuous first Republican debate in August, 2015 — when Kelly asked Trump what he claimed were overly personal and unfair questions — their tussles have been the subject of near-constant media attention. Now Kelly feels let down by a fellow Fox News star who, she says, has not stood up for her enough.
In an interview that appears on the website MORE, the golden girl of “The Kelly File” discussed the debate before the Iowa caucus, a face-off in which the billionaire businessman refused to participate because of their seemingly mutual animosity. Trump did, however, appear on Bill O’Reilly’s top-rated cable show “The O’Reilly Factor” the night before the event to chat about the dust-up. Kelly had something to say about Bill and that interview.
“I do wish that O’Reilly had defended me more in his interview with Trump. I would have defended him more. Honestly? People think I’m fearless. But I’m human. I was not looking forward to going out on that stage and dealing with Trump if he was going to attack me.”
Kelly added that she “felt the pressure of that and the stress of that” but in the end she knew she could conquer her fear and handle the situation.
She also chastised The Donald for his decision to skip the debate, which may have cost him a victory in the Iowa caucus that rival Ted Cruz ultimately won.
“The result in Iowa, to the extent it damaged Trump’s fortunes, as Trump believes it did, will hopefully serve as a lesson to other politicians that they bully the media at their own peril,” stated Kelly.
Regarding Trump’s attacks on her, in which the real estate tycoon stated, “There was blood coming out of her eyes… blood coming out of her wherever,” the Fox News host and mother of three recalled a quote by Margaret Thatcher, the late U.K. prime minister:
“I love when they attack me personally because it means they don’t have a political argument left.”
Although Trump participated in the last Fox News debate that Kelly co-moderated with Bret Baier and Chris Wallace, he has declined to take the stage with remaining Republican rivals Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the next planned debate. Due to his absence — and the subsequent decision by Kasich not to show — that face-off which was scheduled for Monday, March 21 in Salt Lake City has since been canceled.