Megyn Kelly Doesn't Exactly Grill Donald Trump
By Ben Schreckinger and Hadas Gold
Politico
Politico
May 18, 2016
Even Donald Trump’s innovation of live-tweeting his own interview couldn’t rescue his primetime network encounter with Megyn Kelly from its lack of substance.
Nixon-Frost it was not, with Kelly serving up softball after softball in an encounter that was, for all the hype, ultimately unrevealing.
The real star on screen was Kelly, who used the platform of her hour-long special to tease the November release of her book, which she promised would reveal the intimate details of her experience on the receiving end of Trump’s insults — a topic she nodded at but did not fully explore in the Fox special.
For Kelly, the interview was one of her first real crossover tests. The Fox News anchor has repeatedly said in interviews her dream job lies somewhere along the lines of the gigs held by Charlie Rose, Oprah and Barbara Walters (the executive producer of the special had previously been Walters'). Whether her style will translate to the glossier world of primetime broadcast specials will be closely examined. But it's almost guaranteed to be a ratings hit regardless of what was said -- or wasn't.
Rumors in Washington and New York abound as to where Kelly, whose contract with Fox is up in about a year, may choose to go next or how much Fox is willing to put on the table to keep her. Beyond the broadcast specials, Kelly has also expanded into other arenas. She has signed on to help produce a Fox drama series with Kevin Spacey along with the forthcoming book, titled "Settle for More."
Though Kelly at one point in the interview referred to being bullied “when you’re 45,” her current age, and gestured at herself, the portion of the interview dedicated to her back-and-forth with Trump did not reveal much about either participant.
“Let’s talk about us,” Kelly said pivoting to ask about her exchange with Trump during the first Republican debate and Trump’s subsequent lashing out at her.
Confronted by Kelly for referring to her as a "bimbo," Trump asked, "Did I say that?"
"Many times," Kelly responded.
“Excuse me” he said awkwardly, then sought to minimize the transgression. “Over your life, Megyn, you’ve been called a lot worse,” he said.
Kelly, though, soon demurred. “It’s not about me,” she said. “It’s about the messaging to young girls and other women,” she said.
Trump made a couple of flirtations with self-revelation during the course of the interview -- citing the death of his oldest brother Freddy from complications related to alcoholism when asked if he had ever been emotionally wounded -- but he did not commit.
“Well, I think the big thing would be maybe the death of my brother. That was, you know, the hardest thing for me, uh, to take. That was very tough because it’s, you know, unnatural …. I never had a drink. But you know, people can have a drink and they can do it socially.”
Kelly, sensing an evasion, interjected, “I feel like you are trying to get out of bounds on the emotional question to the subject of alcoholism, which we discussed.”
Asked again if somebody had ever inflicted an emotional wound on him, Trump said he would have to think about it and get back to her.
Trump told Kelly that though he has never imbibed alcohol, he has “other problems,” but declined to discuss what those problems are. “That I can’t talk about,” he said. “That would be too good.”
Trump also reflected on his self-proclaimed role as a “counter-puncher” in conflicts, telling Kelly, “when I am wounded, I go after people hard, OK? And I try and unwound myself.”
The format was a departure for Kelly, with softer questions that focused less on policy and more on personality. And some media critics were not pleased, clearly yearning for the Kelly who grilled Trump at the presidential debates.
"If it had been any softer, it would come on a cone (with) a swirl,” tweeted television critic Bill Carter.
"So THIS is what Megyn Kelly went to Trump Tower to set up?” tweeted the Washington Post’s Erik Wemple as part of an extended screed about the show. “Now it appears Megyn Kelly is asking Trump to 'have some fun.' So appropriate for her misogynist-in-chief.”
Isaac Chotiner of Slate of was similarly unimpressed. “This Megyn Kelly interview of Trump is so bad and so soft that if I were Fox News I would worry about CNN trying to poach her,” he tweeted.
Fox got to edit the interview, but Trump made sure he got the first word and the last word and the other words in between by deciding to live-tweet the interview, which was taped last week -- before Trump denied posing as his own spokesman in a taped 1991 conversation with a People Magazine and ahead of the weekend publication of an unflattering New York Times story about his relationship with women.
The live-tweeting represents something of a watershed in both the New York billionaire’s dominance of the 11 months of election coverage and the history of political media – with Trump taking to both of the mediums of his favored mediums, TC and Twitter. Mostly, he retweeted praise for himself and some plaudits for Kelly from his supporters.
“I love Michael Douglas!” he tweeted during the penultimate segment, an interview with the actor.
The special then returned to Trump, who revealed his favorite movie (“Citizen Kane”), his favorite book (“All’s Quiet on the Western Front”), and the fact that he has not had much time to read or watch baseball during presidential run because he’s watching Fox News personalities, including Megyn Kelly, “all the time.”
Kelly then plugged her book and, a few minutes later, Trump weighed in with his own final thought on Twitter: “Well, that is it. Well done Megyn --- and they all lived happily ever after! Now let us all see how ‘THE MOVEMENT’ does in Oregon tonight!”
Nixon-Frost it was not, with Kelly serving up softball after softball in an encounter that was, for all the hype, ultimately unrevealing.
The real star on screen was Kelly, who used the platform of her hour-long special to tease the November release of her book, which she promised would reveal the intimate details of her experience on the receiving end of Trump’s insults — a topic she nodded at but did not fully explore in the Fox special.
For Kelly, the interview was one of her first real crossover tests. The Fox News anchor has repeatedly said in interviews her dream job lies somewhere along the lines of the gigs held by Charlie Rose, Oprah and Barbara Walters (the executive producer of the special had previously been Walters'). Whether her style will translate to the glossier world of primetime broadcast specials will be closely examined. But it's almost guaranteed to be a ratings hit regardless of what was said -- or wasn't.
Rumors in Washington and New York abound as to where Kelly, whose contract with Fox is up in about a year, may choose to go next or how much Fox is willing to put on the table to keep her. Beyond the broadcast specials, Kelly has also expanded into other arenas. She has signed on to help produce a Fox drama series with Kevin Spacey along with the forthcoming book, titled "Settle for More."
Though Kelly at one point in the interview referred to being bullied “when you’re 45,” her current age, and gestured at herself, the portion of the interview dedicated to her back-and-forth with Trump did not reveal much about either participant.
“Let’s talk about us,” Kelly said pivoting to ask about her exchange with Trump during the first Republican debate and Trump’s subsequent lashing out at her.
Confronted by Kelly for referring to her as a "bimbo," Trump asked, "Did I say that?"
"Many times," Kelly responded.
“Excuse me” he said awkwardly, then sought to minimize the transgression. “Over your life, Megyn, you’ve been called a lot worse,” he said.
Kelly, though, soon demurred. “It’s not about me,” she said. “It’s about the messaging to young girls and other women,” she said.
Trump made a couple of flirtations with self-revelation during the course of the interview -- citing the death of his oldest brother Freddy from complications related to alcoholism when asked if he had ever been emotionally wounded -- but he did not commit.
“Well, I think the big thing would be maybe the death of my brother. That was, you know, the hardest thing for me, uh, to take. That was very tough because it’s, you know, unnatural …. I never had a drink. But you know, people can have a drink and they can do it socially.”
Kelly, sensing an evasion, interjected, “I feel like you are trying to get out of bounds on the emotional question to the subject of alcoholism, which we discussed.”
Asked again if somebody had ever inflicted an emotional wound on him, Trump said he would have to think about it and get back to her.
Trump told Kelly that though he has never imbibed alcohol, he has “other problems,” but declined to discuss what those problems are. “That I can’t talk about,” he said. “That would be too good.”
Trump also reflected on his self-proclaimed role as a “counter-puncher” in conflicts, telling Kelly, “when I am wounded, I go after people hard, OK? And I try and unwound myself.”
The format was a departure for Kelly, with softer questions that focused less on policy and more on personality. And some media critics were not pleased, clearly yearning for the Kelly who grilled Trump at the presidential debates.
"If it had been any softer, it would come on a cone (with) a swirl,” tweeted television critic Bill Carter.
"So THIS is what Megyn Kelly went to Trump Tower to set up?” tweeted the Washington Post’s Erik Wemple as part of an extended screed about the show. “Now it appears Megyn Kelly is asking Trump to 'have some fun.' So appropriate for her misogynist-in-chief.”
Isaac Chotiner of Slate of was similarly unimpressed. “This Megyn Kelly interview of Trump is so bad and so soft that if I were Fox News I would worry about CNN trying to poach her,” he tweeted.
Fox got to edit the interview, but Trump made sure he got the first word and the last word and the other words in between by deciding to live-tweet the interview, which was taped last week -- before Trump denied posing as his own spokesman in a taped 1991 conversation with a People Magazine and ahead of the weekend publication of an unflattering New York Times story about his relationship with women.
The live-tweeting represents something of a watershed in both the New York billionaire’s dominance of the 11 months of election coverage and the history of political media – with Trump taking to both of the mediums of his favored mediums, TC and Twitter. Mostly, he retweeted praise for himself and some plaudits for Kelly from his supporters.
“I love Michael Douglas!” he tweeted during the penultimate segment, an interview with the actor.
The special then returned to Trump, who revealed his favorite movie (“Citizen Kane”), his favorite book (“All’s Quiet on the Western Front”), and the fact that he has not had much time to read or watch baseball during presidential run because he’s watching Fox News personalities, including Megyn Kelly, “all the time.”
Kelly then plugged her book and, a few minutes later, Trump weighed in with his own final thought on Twitter: “Well, that is it. Well done Megyn --- and they all lived happily ever after! Now let us all see how ‘THE MOVEMENT’ does in Oregon tonight!”
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