Megyn Kelly: We overestimated Trump’s ‘anger management’
Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly says she was shocked by Donald Trump’s reaction to her debate questions and that she never expected a feud with the GOP front-runner.
“It’s clear we may have overestimated his anger-management skills,” she said during Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.
Kelly said she wasn’t singling out Trump and had asked tough questions of all the candidates during the Fox News debate.
{mosads}“Sorry, you put yourself into this,” Kelly said of the Republican hopefuls.
“You have a job to do, which is answer tough questions,” she added. “I have a tough job to do, which is ask them.”
Trump lashed out at Kelly during the first GOP presidential debate in Cleveland in August following a question over his views on women.
He has since repeatedly clashed with Fox News following the tense exchange.
Kelly argued on Tuesday that her tough questioning helps Republican contenders fix their flaws before the 2016 general election.
“That’s what I get paid to do — anticipate the candidates’ weaknesses and poke them,” she said. “It’s not like I was looking to make an example out of Donald Trump.
“They were tough questions [and] no one was given a pass,” she continued. “Some of them were hard to ask.
“You don’t want to embarrass anyone with their weaknesses, but by the same token, these people want George Washington’s job,” Kelly added.
She noted that Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton is already using Trump’s past remarks on women against him.
“The reason I asked that is not a comment on Megyn Kelly,” she said. “It was a comment on his electability and what he’s likely to hear from Hillary Clinton should he become the nominee. You’re already starting to hear that from Hillary Clinton.”
Kelly questioned Trump’s use of phrases like “fat pig” or “slob” toward women.
The billionaire candidate responded by declaring Kelly had “blood coming out of her — wherever” the following day.
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