Donald Trump launched into an attack on Fox News' Megyn Kelly during an interview on her own network Wednesday, while defending his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski over assault charges filed after he allegedly grabbed a former Breitbart reporter by the arm earlier this month.
"Maybe she does a good job for you," the GOP presidential candidate told the
"Fox & Friends" program. "She doesn't do a good job for me, and let me tell you, if she wouldn't report on Donald Trump, her ratings would go down in half."
The argument started after the show's interviewers played a clip from Kelly's Tuesday night show, where she questioned former Breitbart editor-at-large Ben Shapiro, who left his post after the conservative news service cast doubts on its reporter, Michelle Fields, the staffer who complained Lewandowski had grabbed her.
Fields and several other staffers at the site also left their jobs after the incident.
"Lying liars lie," Shapiro told Kelly Tuesday. "This is the Trump campaign. Lies are told and lies are told to cover up the lies and then new lies are told in order to cover up the lies that were told about the lies.
"Corey Lewandowski yanked Michelle, he bruised Michelle. [Washington Post reporter] Ben Terris and Michelle told that story. Now [Trump and Lewandowski] are telling a whole new set of lies. Their story has evolved from 'Corey Lewandowski never touched Michelle Fields' to 'well, she sort of had it coming.'"
Trump branded the Shapiro interview as "another Megyn Kelly hit."
"My message is speak to the lawyer on the other side because he said, 'give me a break,'" said Trump. "If you put his side on instead of this so-called reporter that said things that frankly, he has no right to say, but I wish, instead of him, put the lawyer on. Hear what the lawyer said."
Two of the show's anchors, Brian Kilmeade and Ainsley Earhardt, defended Kelly, with Earhardt pointing out that the words were from Shapiro and saying that the star anchor "does a great job," and Kilmeade pointing out that Kelly's ratings "went through the roof before you ran for president."
"Oh, really? How many times was I on her show?" Trump shot back. "She ought to stop reporting on me. If she wouldn't report on me, her ratings would go down in half."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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