Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump and Fox News host Megyn Kelly, the billionaire’s nemesis since the two clashed at last summer’s opening Republican presidential debate, made peace in a highly anticipated Tuesday night interview that cast Trump in an introspective light.
In the 20 minutes shown of their sit-down at Trump Tower, the real estate mogul admitted he regrets some of his more pointed personal attacks on his rivals and said Kelly’s tough questions for him during the very first GOP presidential debate ended up helping his campaign.
During that Fox News debate in August 2015, which featured 10 Republican hopefuls crowded onto the stage, Kelly asked Trump about previously calling women “dogs” and “pigs,” along with a slew of other derogatory remarks. The billionaire took issue with the line of questioning, accusing Kelly of being unfair in her coverage of him.
“Let’s talk about us,” Kelly began the interview before asking Trump about their fiery debate exchange, which sparked months of Trump attacking her for everything from her journalistic integrity to implying she was on her period during the debate.
“First of all, I didn’t think it was really a question. I thought it was more of a statement,” the billionaire said. “And I’ve never debated before. I mean, my whole life is a debate, but I’ve never actually debated before. And I’m saying to myself, ‘Man, what a question.’”
“So I’m saying to myself, ‘I got two hours of this?’ I don’t really blame you because you’re doing your thing. But from my standpoint, I don’t have to like it,” Trump told Kelly.
But Trump also said he decided that getting through that first debate meant he could get through anything on the campaign trail, adding, “In a certain way, what you did might’ve been a favor.”
After Trump renewed their feud in March by calling for his supporters to boycott Kelly’s show, Fox News hit back, slamming the billionaire for his “sick obsession” with attacking the anchor.
But Trump also said he respects Kelly for making the first move in setting up the ceasefire by going in April to Trump’s Fifth Avenue headquarters to broker the interview.
The presumptive nominee also pushed back on the notion that his anger with Kelly was calculated for public consumption.
“Well, I’m a real person,” he said. “When I’m wounded, I go after people hard, OK? And I try and un-wound myself.”
Those efforts have included frequently retweeting supporters calling Kelly a “bimbo,” which the Fox News host specifically asked Trump about when he talked about his prolific Twitter presence.
Trump bashfully admitted that yes, he did retweet messages calling Kelly a bimbo. He argued that she’s probably been called much worse during her career, though. Trump also said he didn’t retweet his supporters’ most vitriolic remarks in the heat of the conflict.
Kelly also asked Trump a string of personal questions about his family, his divorces and whether anyone had ever hurt him emotionally, which the Republican largely sidestepped.
But Trump was uncharacteristically candid at times, telling Kelly he does regret some of the things he’s done during the race, although he declined to offer specifics.
He also said he recently spoke with an author who said Trump’s campaign would be historic no matter the outcome, a narrative the billionaire was happy to promote -– except for the outcome.
“I will say this: If I don’t go all the way, and if I don’t win, I will consider it to be a total and complete waste of time, energy, and money,” Trump said.
