Trump’s Fox Interview About Embattled Aide Devolves Into Hit On Megyn Kelly

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Janesville, Wis., Tuesday, March 29, 2016. (Anthony Wahl/The Janesville Gazette via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
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Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s call-in interview to defend his campaign manager against a battery charge on Wednesday morning on “Fox & Friends” devolved into the candidate attacking Fox News host Megyn Kelly.

Trump stayed mostly on message during the interview until co-host Steve Doocy brought up former Breitbart editor-at-large Ben Shapiro’s Tuesday night interview on “The Kelly File.” In the clip, Shapiro repeatedly called Trump and his campaign “liars.”

Doocy asked Trump if he had a message for Shapiro.

“It’s another Megyn Kelly hit,” Trump said. “My message is speak to the lawyer on the other side because he said, ‘Give me a break.'”

After a back-and-forth between Trump and the morning show hosts about the limitations of the physical role of a campaign manager, co-host Ainsley Earhardt pointed out that Shapiro, not Kelly, made those comments.

“That was Ben Shapiro, that wasn’t Megyn Kelly saying that, but let’s move on,” Earhardt said.

Trump didn’t want to move on, though.

“Well, it was her show and frankly you can have Megyn Kelly. But it was her show,” he said.

Co-host Brian Kilmeade stepped in to defend Kelly, saying, “She does a great job. She had a debate and it was the top issue of the day.”

Trump argued that he was the reason for Kelly’s high ratings.

“Maybe she does a good job for you,” Trump said. “She doesn’t do a good job for me and let me tell you, if she wouldn’t report on Donald Trump, her ratings would go down in half.”

Kilmeade pushed back on that assertion.

“That’s not true. Her ratings were through the roof before you ran for president,” he said.

But Trump had the last word.

“If she wouldn’t report on me, her ratings would go down in half,” Trump said.

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