Megyn Kelly Calls Out GOP On Debate Demands, Reignites Trump Feud

By now, we’ve all heard about the list of demands the GOP put out following their last debate, and Megyn Kelly of Fox News was among the first to call out the presidential hopefuls. Hot Air reported that Megyn Kelly, who was bashed by Trump for her moderation of the first GOP primary debate, called the requests of the GOP candidates “absurd.” The list included some pretty specific demands.

“Will you commit that you will not:

– Ask the candidates to raise their hands to answer a question.

– Have a ‘lightening [sic] round’

– Allow candidate-to-candidate questioning

– Allow props or pledges by the candidates…

– Allow members of the audience to wear political messages (shirts, buttons, signs, etc.). Who enforces?

Can you pledge that the temperature in the hall be kept below 67 degrees?”

The mainstream media in general was quick to decry the requests of the GOP candidates, but Megyn Kelly took it to another level. Megyn has faced a huge amount of public scrutiny since she moderated the first GOP debate, especially concerning her interaction with one of the frontrunners in the GOP race, Donald Trump. Megyn Kelly was the target of The Donald’s wrath due to what he labeled personal attacks. He responded to her personal attacks with a plethora of attacks against Megyn. This included a tweet that many people called “sexist,” but it didn’t seem to hurt Trump’s poll numbers, Mediate reports.

"@timjcam: @megynkelly @FrankLuntz @realDonaldTrump Fox viewers give low marks to bimbo @MegynKelly will consider other programs!"

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6Gs-168UlU

Clearly, Megyn Kelly is holding her own against the powers that be in the GOP, which is ironic considering her position as an anchor at the highly conservative Fox News Channel.

Following Megyn Kelly’s very public blow-up with Donald Trump, which incited ire left and right (pun intended), the smoke eventually cleared. While Trump never apologized and continued to denounce Megyn Kelly as a person and a professional, the media attention eventually dwindled. Then, the GOP sent out its list of debate demands, and the Megyn Kelly vs. Trump feud seems to be heating up once again.

Politico is reporting that while the reignition of the pair’s public contention comes around the same time as the debate-demand controversy reached fever pitch, it doesn’t seem as though the Megyn Kelly vs. Trump round two was sparked by her response to the GOP’s debate demands. Rather, Trump went public in his criticism of Kelly once again, this time in response to her reporting on a poll.

Trump, mind you, has been the GOP frontrunner by a very long shot for months now. Unfortunately for him, and possibly having to do in part to his treatment of Megyn Kelly and other prominent women (including rival Carly Fiorina, whose face he insulted), he’s now behind Ben Carson nationally, Yahoo News is reporting and Twitter users are tweeting.

there it is pic.twitter.com/KEfvsmUNMr

— Will Jordan (@williamjordann) November 4, 2015

Trump, not known for being particularly gracious in defeat, used his falling poll numbers to once again lash out at Megyn Kelly, who in this instance was not a debate moderator but merely the messenger. Kelly reported on Trump’s lagging popularity, and Donald Trump took offense to one of the graphics used in her story.

Isn't it terrible that @megynkelly used a poll not used before (I.B.D.) when I was down, but refuses to use it now when I am up?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2015

Megyn Kelly, who has remained gracious and professional throughout the course of her highly-publicized feud with Trump, did address Donald’s comments in a succinct reply tweet.

.@realDonaldTrump – Facts matter. (From #thekellyfile – Nov 2d). pic.twitter.com/VNwCetMdKo

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) November 4, 2015

Prior to the most recent incitement of the pair’s ongoing (but temporarily dormant) feud, Megyn Kelly had reportedly tried to ignore the more inflammatory, attention-seeking remarks made by Trump. She had some very blatant and unapologetic words for her show’s viewers in August, following the media storm surrounding the first GOP debate.

“Mr. Trump is an interesting man who has captured the attention of the electorate. That’s why he’s leading in the polls. Trump, who is the front-runner, will not apologize, and I certainly will not apologize for doing good journalism. So I’ll continue doing my job without fear or favor. And Mr. Trump, I expect, will continue with what has been a successful campaign thus far.”

Megyn isn’t apologizing now, either. Not for her comments on the nature of the GOP debate demands, and not for her previous comments regarding Trump or her moderation of the first GOP debate. What Donald Trump thinks of her lack of contrition is hard to tell. Certainly, when he thinks of a fitting rebuttal, he’ll unleash it on Megyn Kelly as a tweet.

[Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]