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 Not long after these remarks, event organizer Erick Erickson announced that he had withdrawn the invitation:
I have rescinded my invitation to Mr.Trump.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.
Carly Fiorina: "I'm the new rising star Lion-ess of GOP Presidential candidates!"
This broad Fiorina is a hologram. A fake. Wolf in sheeps' clothing. A hedge for Jeb. A totally manufactured candidate who is OBVIOUSLY following a script. She's just as manufactured a product as is the fake outrage against Trump. The Megyn Kelly-led "War on Women!" meme, and the un-holy matrimony of FOX News to the effete GOPe is now exposed to the world. How will Republican voters react to this manipulation?
Q: Is there ANYTHING that either FOX News or the GOPe do that isn't contrived, staged bullsh*t?? Their relationship isn't much different than the symbiosis of MSNBC and the Dem Party.
In her rather miserable 2010 CA Senate campaign, she was adamantly pro-choice and on the global hotting side.
She was, in fairness, just recovering from surgery and breast cancer and had just lost an adopted daughter.
In fairness, why should her personal her problems have played into her life philosophy? In order to be "fair"?? What proof have we that she's sincerely suddenly changed her mind on those two hot-button issues that are traditionally DEM red meat requisites?
I think she has prepared for and wants to be the new Palin, an attack dog that can defy the usual War On Women themes.
That portrayal appears to be the narrative/script for the time being. But now she's just defied her defiance of the "War on Women" theme by going after Trump. That didn't take long.
She is a much better prepared candidate now than she was in her 2010 race or in her role in 2012 as a highly placed Romney surrogate.
Yup, I agree wholeheartedly. Fiorina polished inside and outside, and seems to have attended finishing school for GOPe Candidates.
Given that she is appealing to the GOP party establishment, it's no surprise she's demoing her willingness to go on the attack yet again.
But THIS time, her handlers have jumped on the "Destroy-Trump!" bandwagon, which undoubtedly endears her to the RNC. My impression: Fiorina seems...almost TOO polished, too smooth, too confident. And NOW she can play off and exploit the "War on Women" card and not be treated "meanly" during the campaign. How utterly reptilian AND brilliant!
But THIS time, her handlers have jumped on the "Destroy-Trump!" bandwagon, which undoubtedly endears her to the RNC. My impression: Fiorina seems...almost TOO polished, too smooth, too confident. And NOW she can play off and exploit the "War on Women" card and not be treated "meanly" during the campaign. How utterly reptilian AND brilliant!
It is a clever strategy, certainly obvious enough.
Donald made an unforced error, Fiorina swoops in to capitalize on it.
I saw a number of political consultants who think that Fiorina won both debates on Thursday. No one at the main debate had as good a night as she had in the 5pm debate. Then she raced to PMSNBC and kicked Chrissy Matthews in the balls.
So she's on a roll and will definitely make the cut for the main debate upcoming on CNN. Where she can slice and dice Teh Donald to his face for a big audience.
Let's imagine how that might go. She attacks him for chummy phone calls with Bill Xlinton and for saying he might run third-party. He makes some angry retort about her tenure as HP CEO. She then says something acidic in return and finishes with, "I hope you don't think I'm bleeding from...somewhere like you said about Megan Kelly, you crude buffoon."
Let's imagine how that might go. She attacks him for chummy phone calls with Bill Xlinton and for saying he might run third-party. He makes some angry retort about her tenure as HP CEO. She then says something acidic in return and finishes with, "I hope you don't think I'm bleeding from...somewhere like you said about Megan Kelly, you crude buffoon."
Yeah, something like that. Good projection. So IOW, Fiorina is THE perfect GOPe candidate to castrate Trump with impunity.
Fiorina's got an unsavory past. I'm sure The Donald's advisers are preparing for her cheap shots and position as the only woman aboard the GOPe Express. At the probable cost of his "Republican" standing. THIS is how low the GOPe and RNCe have stooped in order to shut down Trump and prevent him from exposing the establishment Republican treachory, stupidity, and treason. Oh well.
This political strategy of siccing Fiorina on Trump is not unlike the old NHL (hockey) strategy of sending out an expendable goon to goad the star player into a fight in order to remove them from the ice.
Donald made an unforced error, Fiorina swoops in to capitalize on it.
ONLY because she's a woman.
I saw a number of political consultants who think that Fiorina won both debates on Thursday. No one at the main debate had as good a night as she had in the 5pm debate.
The second tier debate was unfettered by the antics of Kelly and Wallace, and moderated professionally. Again, Fiorina should be commended for following her political advisers' script, her make-up artist, and new "conservative" pupa....and becoming a GOPe butterfly.
So IOW, Fiorina is THE perfect GOPe candidate to castrate Trump with impunity.
Obviously.
ONLY because she's a woman.
And the argument will be made that she is the perfect choice to go after Hitlery in the traditional VP attack dog role.
Her main competition for VP at this point is Kasich, reflecting a hope he would help carry Ohio. But she can unleash a lot of attacks no male candidate would dare to make. How better to prove it than by spit-roasting Trump right now, striking while the iron is hot and he made such an elementary error?
I'm surprised she didn't wangle an invite to Red State's confab but she probably has fundraisers to attend after her big debate performance.
[Fiorina] can unleash a lot of attacks no male candidate would dare to make. How better to prove it than by spit-roasting Trump right now, striking while the iron is hot and he made such an elementary error?
POLITICAlly, it's the perfect timing, and perfect VP candidate. She's auditioning....
I'm surprised she didn't wangle an invite to Red State's confab but she probably has fundraisers to attend after her big debate performance.
Doors will start opening for her, no doubt. The GOPe has always rewarded their own with power, position, and great press...the NYT. Remember when McStain was their darling for FUBARing the conservative agenda?
She'd have to be brain-dead not to jump all over this and ride the storm front of the raging Twitter thunderstorm raining down on Trump.
Her aim had better be awfully good.
FWIW -- much of that Twitter "thunderstorm" is BS. BUT perception (and reporting by the MSM and liberal blogs) is everything. I *knew* Megyn Kelly would be using her debate platform to self-promote AND front for....the Dems. She's an attention-whore. People are so naive and/or stupid. (yes, hedging again.)
