Donald Trump took just 24 words to spell out his current feelings about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. “Everybody should boycott the @megynkelly show. Never worth watching. Always a hit on Trump! She is sick, & the most overrated person on tv,” the Republican front-runner tweeted late Friday afternoon. His missive was retweeted over 6,000 times, and “liked” by 19,000 readers within hours. Mr. Trump expressed a similar sentiment earlier in the week, referring to the prime-time broadcaster as “crazy” and “unwatchable.”
The pair have had their differences in recent months, sparked by exchanges during presidential debates broadcast by Fox News. The network did not waste time replying to this particular episode.
“Donald Trump’s vitriolic attacks against Megyn Kelly and his extreme, sick obsession with her is beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate who wants to occupy the highest office in the land. Megyn is an exemplary journalist and one of the leading anchors in America — we’re extremely proud of her phenomenal work and continue to fully support her throughout every day of Trump’s endless barrage of crude and sexist verbal assaults,” a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement on behalf of the network.
“As the mother of three young children, with a successful law career and the second highest rated show in cable news, it’s especially deplorable for her to be repeatedly abused just for doing her job.”
Their feud essentially began seven months ago during the first Republican presidential debate. As one of three moderators, Ms. Kelly asked Mr. Trump, “You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president? And how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who is likely to be the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?”
Mr. Trump responded with choice comments about Ms. Kelly in the aftermath, telling CNN in an interview, “She starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions. You can see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever, but she was, in my opinion, she was off base.”
Public reaction to all this has run the gamut from outrage to amusement. The press has offered intricate coverage. Revisit the moment in this video clip, found here
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, was campaigning this weekend in Arizona and was scheduled to appear at the upcoming American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference, which begins Sunday in the nation’s capital. The major event draws 18,000 attendees and some political fire power. Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. John Kasich, Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joseph R. Biden and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan are among the dozens of heavyweights scheduled to speak.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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