Donald Trump Takes a Swipe at 'Pretentious' Megyn Kelly, Remarks "May She Rest in Peace"

The 2015 debate between former Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly and former president Donald Trump continues to stir new controversies even after decades. The 2024 GOP frontrunner aimed at Kelly directly during his Georgia event, saying that she is 'making a career' out of 'pretending' to admire him. While campaigning in Rome on Saturday night, the Republican leader recalled their first GOP presidential debate, during which the former news host pressed him about his treatment of women. "Megyn Kelly. May she rest in peace," Trump remarked as the crowd erupted in laughter. "She’s sort of making a career by pretending she likes me." 

"They asked me that horrible, horrible question, remember?" Trump continued. "And I said, "Oh, am I dead?" That’s the first question I ever got." The question referenced Trump's past comments about women; "You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals," Kelly said back then. "Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president?" As per The Daily Mail, in 2015, right after their explosive debate, the business tycoon had expressed his rage by verbally abusing Kelly, calling her a 'bimbo' and implying that she had 'blood coming out of her eyes, or blood coming out of her wherever.'

However, Kelly said the long-running conflict was 'under the bridge' last summer, even complimenting Trump at a Turning Point USA conference in July. "There’s just something about him, it’s like an aura that sort of takes over the room," she said at the time. "There’s only one person you can look at. He could not have been nicer or more generous and had some interesting thoughts about the debates, whether he’s going to attend." In September of last year, the former President consented to an interview with Kelly. The long-time journalist complimented him on his response to her question during the debate over ten years ago during their hour-long sit-down. 

Only a few days after their so-called 'friendly' interview, the former anchorwoman was criticized by Trump at a rally in Iowa. Despite her continuing support of Trump since then, the gesture proved fruitless. "She became nastier all of a sudden," Trump said. "She was pretty nasty, didn’t you think, anyone that watched it." “I sat down for an hour, and then I did a Megyn Kelly one,” Trump told his Iowa supporters during a rally back then. As per The Hill, Kelly raised uncomfortable queries about the former President's handling of classified documents. 

“I don’t know what the timing is. Again, I’d have to check,” Trump said. “I just don’t know the timing. All I know is, I’m allowed to have those documents.” “But once you get a subpoena, you have to turn them over,” Kelly responded. “I don’t even know that because I have the right to have those documents. So I don’t really know that,” Trump added. Since then, Kelly has left Fox and started a podcast and YouTube channel. She recently said that the issue she had with Trump is over.