Earlier this evening, CNN’s Don Lemon interviewed Donald Trump about the debate on Fox News Channel last night, and set off another Trump-related tempest. After noting that Kelly pushed Trump during the debate, and that she “pushed a lot of people” besides Trump, Lemon asked, “What is it with you and Megyn Kelly?” Trump’s reply was, er … colorful, to say the least [emphasis mine]:
TRUMP: Well, I just don’t respect her as a journalist, I have no respect for her. I don’t think she’s very good, I think she’s highly overrated. But when I came out there, you know — what am I doing? I’m not getting paid for this. I go out there, and they start saying this stuff [garbled]. But you know, I didn’t know there’d be 24 million people. I knew it was going to be a big crowd because I get crowds, I get ratings. They call me the ratings machine. So I have, you know, she gets out and she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions, and you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her … wherever. But in my opinion, she was off base.
Kelly did ask Trump tough questions in last night’s debate, but she asked tough questions of Marco Rubio on abortion too, and of other candidates on stage as well. As the front-runner, Trump should have expected tough questions, especially given his track record of supporting nearly every progressive idea at one time or another, including Hillary Clinton being President. Kelly also asked Trump about his remarks about women, which appears to have particularly rankled him — and pushed him into validating Kelly’s premise in asking those questions in the first place. After all, it’s not often when a major party candidate takes a shot at a woman by reminding everyone of her menstrual cycle. I’m certain that will really impress women about their place in the Republican Party.
Trump was scheduled to speak at the Red State Gathering tomorrow, in the final slot at the event. Not long after these remarks, event organizer Erick Erickson announced that he had withdrawn the invitation:
I have rescinded my invitation to Mr.Trump. While I have tried to give him great latitude, his remark about Megyn Kelly was a bridge too far
That will undoubtedly anger some Trump supporters, but after last night’s debate performance and his thin-skinned whining afterward, I wonder if that group wasn’t already in decline. This might fire up the die-hard Trump troops, but suggesting that a journalist went after his target-rich record only because she was menstruating should be a disqualifier for most voters. It’s vastly worse than anything Todd Akin said, and will almost certainly have media outlets demanding responses from the other Republican candidates. It’s practically tailor-made for Democrats to hoist up the Republican War On Women banner, especially Hillary Clinton.
Get ready for plenty of Team Trump dog-in-the-manger, sour-grapes quotes in the morning, if not overnight. There may be some legitimate anger among a small group of RSG15 attendees tomorrow who wanted to see Trump at this event, but Erick has a solid case for not wanting to have this overshadow the event tomorrow, with more presidential candidates on hand to make their pitches. Erick will almost certainly address this in the morning, and we’ll see what the fallout is over the rest of the day.
Update: Carly Fiorina appears to be the first Republican candidate to respond to Trump’s remarks, perhaps fittingly so (via Twitchy):
That’s interesting, because Fiorina actually deflected a Trump question at her presser today at RSG15 by asking why the media wasn’t calling out Obama for his offensive comments about opponents of the Iran deal. Not this time, apparently.
But I also think that while Mr. Trump resonates with a lot of people with his bluntness, including me to a degree, there are just real lines of decency a person running for President should not trust.
His comment was inappropriate. It is unfortunate to have to disinvite him. But I just don’t want someone on stage who gets a hostile question from a lady and his first inclination is to imply it was hormonal. It just was wrong.
I have invited Megyn Kelly to attend in Donald Trump’s place tomorrow night.
Well, that would be interesting. We’ll see if she can swing that.
We'll see how long Trump lasts. We've had exactly one debate. Like most diehard supporters of a frontrunner in a primary campaign, you mostly want to declare the race is over and that your candidate is the nominee long before unreliable Iowa has held its corrupt and largely phony caucuses.
And after Trump flames out, we'll all get the same line of "inevitability" from the Bush camp. In fact, Trump's presence in the race is helping Bush to secure the nomination and keeping alternatives to Bush from getting money and campaign attention.
The Trumpsters of 2015 are no more convincing than the Cainiacs or the Gin-grinches of 2011. And the result will be the same.
Enjoy it while it lasts. Which won't be much longer because you have a lousy and undisciplined candidate that likes to shoot his mouth off and who has no real staff that have ever run a successful state campaign, let alone have any experience in a national campaign (not even a losing national campaign).
People always say they're sick of politicians and want someone else. And yet, given the choice, they almost always pick the smoothest professional politician. There are rare exceptions, like Berlusconi of Italy (who may evenutally return to power after conviction for tax fraud and an underage sex scandal). Hard to find any other examples where some outsider tycoon has won an election in a major country. Berlusconi has an advantage in that Italy is so grossly corrupt and mismanaged, even more obviously to voters than America suffers from its own pols.
And after Trump flames out, we'll all get the same line of "inevitability" from the Bush camp. In fact, Trump's presence in the race is helping Bush to secure the nomination and keeping alternatives to Bush from getting money and campaign attention.
blah blah blah.
I don't care about the other candidates.
Here is a list of asshole candidates Bush, The Fiorian bitch, Christie, Rubio, Perry, Graham, Rand Paul
Here are ok candidates that don't have a chance Jindal, Carson,
Here is a candidate that I am unsure of. Scott Walker. But I'm kind of skeptica skeptical about him.
Here are the good candidates. Ted Cruz, Donald Trump.
As you can see it was going to be Bush. Now it is Bush or Trump.
You can have Trump or Hillary. Take your pick. Because most Republicans hate Bu Bush. That is why he is at like 12 percent.
Trump can win two ways. As the Republican nominee or third party. I'd prefer he win the R nomination as that would knock out anyone else from the R nomination.
I'm patient. Teh Donald already has (or soon will) pull the pin and then jump on his own grenade.
Here is why I say you are clueless. You don't understand how pissed people are at the government. Trump voters aren't going to abandon him. Do you not unders understand that? There may be a few that do a tiny sliver, very tiny.
Once you understand that you might make better predictions about the future.
It really is that simple. I like him. I like his F U attitude towards as assholes.
So again the lesson is. Trump supporters aren't going to abandon him. No ma matter what.
Megan Kelly and Eric Ericson are damaged goods now. Their expiration date is coming up real soon.
Here is why I say you are clueless. You don't understand how pissed people are at the government.
Voter tantrums rarely win national elections, though they may lead to changes in legislators, like the Tea party victories here in America or the rise of parties on the Right in the EU.
He did have a good father. Who taught him well. So well that he surpassed his father father.
Trump's father was one of the biggest slumlords in NYC. As a major real estate mogul, he wielded substantial political power as well.
After Donald graduated from Wharton, his father gave him a rundown slum property in the Midwest and the financing to remodel it and make it a success. That was how Donald started out. He did gravitate toward casinos and luxury properties, now with big country clubs as part of a package deal. In other words, his real customers and associates are the 1%ers.
I doubt Trump has ever spent any time with anyone who isn't at least a millionaire. People like him arrange their schedules and affairs so they never meet or have any contact with their landscapers and the people who clean their houses.
Trump is in the top 1% of the 1%, going by his own claims. That you try to portray him as some humble man of the people would be laughable if it weren't so pathetic.
Being in the rental business is a legitimate business. There is nothing wrong with with providing housing for low income families.
Since you know so much about his father.
Tell me about 5 of the houses he rented out. Tell me for how much and I want pictures of the houses and the insides. Otherwise you are just lying again.
Your assumptions lead to rhetorical rotmouth. You should learn not to make strawman, red-herrings because it makes you look like a loser in any discussion.
Effectively, everyone sees you stumbling over yourself on the dance floor while you see yourself in a mirror thinking you are doing swell.
Tell me about 5 of the houses he rented out. Tell me for how much and I want pictures of the houses and the insides. Otherwise you are just lying again.
Hooey.
Frederick Christ Trump owned 27,000 properties in NYC. Other than a handful of respectable flagship properties, these were overwhelmingly in low-income areas and were neglected properties. He was a slumlord in NYC back in the years when NYC teetered on bankruptcy, suffering high crime.
You criticized that Trumps father left him an inheritance.
I indicated that Trump's arrogance is based on his daddy's money, not his. He would be cleaning latrines, calling himself a facilities engineer or some other highfalutin' title, with or without his daddy's money. It has little to do with "inheritance."
The punk is not presidential material; he is good for a laff though. I hope he makes it BIG on Saturday Night Live.
Trump has no FUCKIN' values to change the course of American failure which has been clearly demonstrated for at least 25 years. All he can influence are "silly little wipers of other people' bottoms," to quote Monty Python.
I'm surprised that so many lower middle class folks fall for his PT Barnum act; Stone included.
Let me ask you a serious question, Fred. Did you see anyone on that stage or any political stage that captures the idea of "leadership" that can mend this broken nation?
Unfortunately, no. A handful might fill the role of figure head, but not a true leader IMO.
EXACTLY!
The nation has lost vision about its own leadership to drive the nation. Why? As an opinion because America is on a downward spiral of neglect not just by so-called leaders and potential leaders BECAUSE we are not leading ourselves as was envisioned by the founders of this nation. The nation was built upon individual determinism; not washed down high-lighted hair by a Trump or ruby red lipstick by a Kelly.
The nation's electoral process is a mess because just about any tom, dick or harry can pretend to be a leader in this political atmosphere but the people don't even know what a leader is is ... so how can they vote for a true leader? The place is FUCKED UPPED.
Trump began his career at his father's real estate company, Elizabeth Trump and Son, which focused on middle-class rental housing in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. One of Trump's first projects, while he was still in college, was the revitalization of the foreclosed Swifton Village apartment complex in Cincinnati, Ohio, which his father had purchased for $5.7 million in 1962. The Trumps became involved in the project and with a $500,000 investment, turned the 1,200-unit complex with a 66 percent vacancy rate to 100 percent occupancy within two years. In 1972, the Trump Organization sold Swifton Village for $6.75 million. Donald's involvement with the project was to perform some landscaping and menial labor.
In 1971, Trump moved to Manhattan and became involved in larger building projects and used attractive architectural design to win public recognition. He made plans to acquire and develop the old Penn Central for $60 million with no money down. Later, with the help of a 40-year tax abatement from the New York City government, he turned the bankrupt Commodore Hotel into the Grand Hyatt and created The Trump Organization.
In 1920 at age 15, Trump went into the real estate development and construction business, forming Elizabeth Trump & Son Co. with his mother, who was an active partner, writing the checks. Their success allowed him to send his younger brother John George Trump (1907-1985) to Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, then to Columbia University for his master's, and to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his Ph.D. After attempting to work together, building a couple of houses together, John switched to electrical engineering, going on to partner with Robert J. Van de Graaff and build one of the first million-volt X-ray generators.
In the late 1920s, Trump began building single-family houses in Queens, which were sold for $3,990 each. By the mid-1930s in the middle of the Great Depression, he helped pioneer the concept of supermarkets with the Trump Market in Woodhaven, which advertised "Serve Yourself and Save!", becoming an instant hit. After only a year Trump sold it for a tidy profit to the King Kullen supermarket chain.
During World War II, Trump built barracks and garden apartments for U.S. Navy personnel near major shipyards along the East Coast, including Chester, Pennsylvania, Newport News, Virginia, and Norfolk, Virginia. After the war he expanded into middle-income housing for the families of returning veterans, building Shore Haven in Bensonhurst in 1949, and Beach Haven near Coney Island in 1950 (a total of 2,700 apartments). In 1963 he built the 3,800-apartment Trump Village in Coney Island, competing with Lefrak City in Queens.
Trump went on to build and operate affordable rental housing via large apartment complexes in New York City, including more than 27,000 low-income multifamily apartments and row houses in the neighborhoods of Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Sheepshead Bay, Flatbush, and Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, and Flushing and Jamaica Estates in Queens. In 1968 his 22-year-old son Donald Trump joined his company Trump Management Co., becoming president in 1974, and renaming it The Trump Organization in 1980. In the mid-1970s he lent his son money, allowing him to go into the real estate business in Manhattan, while he stuck to Brooklyn and Queens. "It was good for me," he later commented. "You know, being the son of somebody, it could have been competition to me. This way, I got Manhattan all to myself."
Although a self-made millionaire, Trump was known for his frugality, saving unused nails, doing his own extermination work and mixing his own floor cleaners. Nevertheless, he insisted on buying a new Navy Cadillac every three years, with license plate "FCT". By the time of his death, Trump was estimated to have amassed a fortune worth $250 to $300 million.
Taking additional acting lessons. She's starting out her new acting talents with a new script in a role that offers her the opportunity to portray herself as president.
Exactly. Carly Fiorina is ACTING.
GOPe's Hollywood Central called her in for a total "Make-Over." All she had to do they presumed was attend GOPe finishing-school to address her former looks, script, and role.
I don't even doubt that her PTB-GOPe handlers believe they've found their new "star." She apparently passed the audition with flying colors when she lectured the "Neanderthal" Trump while siding with innocent, delicate flower, Megyn Kelly. Ergo Fiorina's feminist bonafides were reinforced and established in this fake "war against women." Best of all -- now (phew!!) the GOP has a woman in their race, proving that it's not the establishment Republicans that hate women -- only the kooky, newbie conservative wing.
Best of all -- now (phew!!) the GOP has a woman in their race, proving that it's not the establishment Republicans that hate women -- only the kooky, newbie conservative wing.
You Trumpsters, following Teh Donald's lead, have made Megyn Kelly the litmus test.
We'll see how that works out for you.
Trump has lost all his media contracts and his Trump ties deal with Macy's and other connections he had developed over the years. He probably feels he has nothing left to lose now.
I haven't found out if Kelly took Trump's spot at RSG (which I doubted) or who they did get to make the big Saturday evening keynote address for them after they disinvited Trump.
Trump doesn't even have a campaign now that Roger Stone has left him.
Is THAT the new meme already?
Suddenly ALL those who support and will support President Trump will now fret and abandon him? OH MY!! Trump is in trouble!! His campaign is in tatters and dysfunctional, unable to carry on in a forceful way!! Lol -- seriously...
Trump will merely audition and hire THE best consultants and be even MORE dangerous to the GOPe cartel. If there's anything you can be sure Donald Trump does MUCH better than any one else out in this field, it's creating a focused, winning team. This is a man whose reputation and honor is on the line. With no sugar daddies to worry about, no lobbyist whores to pay, no political feelings and "good friends on the other side of the aisle" to hurt, the GOPe has good reason to fear him. He'll go for the throat -- unlike ANY one else in the field.
The propagandist media -- in the employ of BOTH the Dems AND GOPe will have to works twice as hard to demonize him and dismiss his creds. Gonna be a bloody campaign.
It's nonsense. Trump doesn't even have a campaign now that Roger Stone has left him.
At this stage, no one can rationally deny that Trump not only has a campaign, he is leading by double digits, and the GOPe candidates are all in single digits.
You Trumpsters, following Teh Donald's lead, have made Megyn Kelly the litmus test.
"Trumpsters"?? LOL
You've got it backwards; The media and Megyn Kelly have been exposed as being shills for the Establishment Republican cartel, AND having TRIED to play the public for fools. It is THEY who have failed a litmus test of credibility.
Trump has lost all his media contracts and his Trump ties deal with Macy's and other connections he had developed over the years. He probably feels he has nothing left to lose now.
Macy's? One more dead and dying brick and mortar corpse.
Down and out and going for broke? Trump?? DOES he really feel as if he's got nothing left to lose?? Chyeah -- I could see that. After all his assets are only around $10 billion. And everyone has abandoned him. Oh wait -- you're...serious?? Oh, ok.
MEMO: The dynamo Donald Trump is his own "media." His own brand. He's STILL kicking azz in the polls. People not normally interested in politics now ARE. Because of Donald Trump. He was the SOLE reason FOX News' narcissists drew 24 million to a debate that normally draws 3 million. With Trump's contacts, assets, and friend (no, not EVERYONE underestimates or opposes Donald Trump for the fake "War on Women" meme) he will remain VERY much alive and THE main talk about town.
Bummer, eh?
I haven't found out if Kelly took Trump's spot at RSG (which I doubted) or who they did get to make the big Saturday evening keynote address for them after they disinvited Trump.
Kelly is in a LOSE-LOSE situation whether she shows up or doesn't. Her rep is dashed and smashed. She played personal, and she played whore to the GOPe. RSG and Erickson are also in LOSE-LOSE position; They look petty, cowardly, vindictive, and spiteful -- just like Megyn Kelly. Just like the GOPe.
The damage to the cred of these parties can not be undone. Proven to most people who've followed this ongoing joke is that the media and political parties (the GOPe) are dishonest brokers of the truth while also proving without any doubt that they COLLUDE and CONSPIRE to sabotage certain candidates. And NOW the serfs know.
At this stage, no one can rationally deny that Trump not only has a campaign, he is leading by double digits, and the GOPe candidates are all in single digits.
Scientific Poll, NBC/Survey Monkey, August 7-8, ± 3.4%
In comparison to other Republicans in California, her Senate election result was not all that bad. There are few Republican success stories in California.
It appears that once again, predictions of his political death have been premature.
It is not just that Trump is in first, but Cruz and Carson are in second and third, and they are the only ones in double figures. The people are giving the middle finger to the GOPe. Freezing The Donald out on Saturday should give him another few points.
It appears that once again, predictions of his political death have been premature.
It is not just that Trump is in first, but Cruz and Carson are in second and third, and they are the only ones in double figures. The people are giving the middle finger to the GOPe. Freezing The Donald out on Saturday should give him another few points.
Polls don't mean "diddly-squat" in this country, chan. That was a silly comment. The nation tightens the political field just a day before an election not a year and half before an election.
Polls don't determine the mood of the people. People deermine the mood of the polls and as a result you can't make a meaningful estimate of any results about a "poll" other than some exilerating thrill, like "a tingling down your leg" comment.
She apparently passed the audition with flying colors when she lectured the "Neanderthal" Trump while siding with innocent, delicate flower, Megyn Kelly.
Nah, she passed her audition months ago when she went after Hillary. She is the GOPe designated hitter because she can do it without the party being labeled as sexist. She would be a good fit for the GOPe ticket's VP attack dog slot.
Polls don't mean "diddly-squat" in this country, chan. That was a silly comment. The nation tightens the political field just a day before an election not a year and half before an election.
You are in the wrong election cycle. This is the cycle for the primary elections.
Scientific Poll, NBC/Survey Monkey, August 7-8, ± 3.4%
Yeah, Survey Monkey sounds like a real top outfit. ‹/sarcasm›
I also recall the complete failure of polling in both the British and Israeli elections in the last year.
We really should not take polls at face value. Even Nate Silver is admitting there are fundamental problems with measuring public opinion in modern polling. Including the obvious fact that people deliberately lie to pollsters sometimes (but not all the time). Maddening.
She is the GOPe designated hitter because she can do it without the party being labeled as sexist. She would be a good fit for the GOPe ticket's VP attack dog slot.
If the nominee is Kasich, she'd be a good pick. Or Rubio to help in FL.
If the nominee was Walker, Kasich to bring OH or Rubio to court FL.
She has a chance at the VP nod if they think her role as attack dog on Hillary! is more valuable in key states than Kasich bringing OH or Rubio bringing FL would be.
I kinda assume the nominee will be either Bush or Walker. So you start looking at needing to bring along key states because of the electoral map advantage that the Dims have had with Obama (240+ EC votes, at least 40 more than the GOP).
After all his assets are only around $10 billion. And everyone has abandoned him. Oh wait -- you're...serious?? Oh, ok.
MEMO: The dynamo Donald Trump is his own "media." His own brand. He's STILL kicking azz in the polls. People not normally interested in politics now ARE. Because of Donald Trump. He was the SOLE reason FOX News' narcissists drew 24 million to a debate that normally draws 3 million.
Forbes says an honest assessment is more like half of that, about $5 billion. And his liquid assets appear in the range of $300M. Other reporting is to take Trump's 10 billion, cut it in half, then cut in quarters; IOW more like 1.2-2 billion. But that is if he actually liquidated his holdings. And any liquidation would likely drive down the value of his other assets. Any selloff of a major fortune or even large holdings of valuable stocks works this way when you liquidate them in a short time frame.
I think Forbes probably has it about right. He made $5 billion in assets after 4 bankruptcies.
Because of Donald Trump. He was the SOLE reason FOX News' narcissists drew 24 million to a debate that normally draws 3 million.
Even the 5pm debate of the GOP junior varsity drew 6 million, I read. So the main event, with or without Trump, would have drawn double that, considering the high level of interest in the GOP primaries. Even Obama encouraged Dems to watch it.
I saw Trump trying to pretend to CNN's Tapper today that they wouldn't have gotten 2 million without him. What an arrogant blowhard.
Well, he does have that 10B in assets and Melania, and he is crushing in the polls.
Yeah, just like Giuliani and Hitlery were back in 2007.
And do you recall the Second Coming of Fred Thompson, our Lord and savior, also in 2007? Bet he wishes he had his L&O gig back.
Trump doesn't have the nomination yet. In fact, there is considerable history of the big early frontrunner totally imploding or losing to somebody that no one expected to get anywhere close to the nomination. It's how the voters seem to punish their early favorite.
It slays me that Trump gets to 26% in a few wacky polls and his supporters think it's time to just give him the nomination by acclaim. It's creepy, like the Hitlery supporters in the Dim party.
