Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is in the spotlight for his interactions with reporters.
A day after announcing his White House bid, Paul earned the wrong kind of attention for a testy on-air fight with “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, who Paul accused of “editorializing” in her questions.
{mosads}The exchange was particularly notable because the senator had made headlines in February for shushing Kelly Evans, a female CNBC interviewer who questioned his views on vaccines.
That left Paul playing defense later in the day, when he admitted on CNN that he has a short temper when it comes to giving interviews to the media.
Paul admitted he needs to be more patient but said he doesn’t discriminate based on the gender of the reporter.
“I’ve been universally short-tempered and testy to both male and female reporters,” Paul insisted to “Situation Room” host Wolf Blitzer. “It’s hard to have a true interaction sometimes, particularly if it’s a hostile interviewer.”
Fox News’s Megyn Kelly defended Paul, saying he wasn’t sexist, and in fact, it’s his critics who are sexist for assuming that female reporters need help from their male colleagues and can’t defend themselves.
“[Female reporters] don’t need your help,” Kelly said Wednesday night. “Savannah Guthrie doesn’t need your help. Kelly Evans doesn’t need your help , and you are entitled to push back on the interviewer just as much as you would if you are a man.”
The exchanges with Guthrie and Evans aren’t Paul’s only media run-ins.
A calmer but visibly perturbed Paul during an Associated Press interview on Wednesday refused to answer a question concerning his stance on abortion, telling the reporter that “sometimes putting it in neat categories is a mistake.”
“I gave you about a five-minute answer,” Paul huffed, “put my five-minute answer in.”
The media attention will likely only intensity for Paul as the election nears, but Paul said he is working on avoiding further incidents with the media.