Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly says Fox News Channel did not want a war with GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump when the two tangled beginning with the first Republican debate in early August.
Kelly has been largely silent on the dust-up, but she appeared Wednesday on PBS's "Charlie Rose" show and was asked about the issue.
"Neither one of us wanted any sort of a war with Donald Trump," Kelly said of herself and Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes. "We didn’t think that benefited the channel, we didn’t think it benefited me, and we don’t think it benefited Donald Trump, and I think Donald Trump would say that now."
Trump was angered after Kelly, a moderator of the debate, asked him about his treatment of women on social media. Trump discussed the issued on CNN the next night, and was accused of saying Kelly was hormonal while questioning him.
He said his quote that "blood was coming out of her wherever" was not intended that way.
Fox and Trump eventually made up, though he has not since appeared on Kelly's show. A second round of Twitter attacks from Trump against Kelly brought a call from Ailes for an apology, but none was forthcoming.
Fox said it canceled an appearance by Trump on
"The O'Reilly Factor," and Trump then said he was boycotting Fox.
He returned the next week.
"We just wanted to forge forward and put it behind us and not pour any more fuel on that fire," Kelly told Rose. She said she believes Trump will eventually appear on her show, and predicted it will be good TV when he does.
"I want to ask him all the things people want me to ask him, like why did you get so upset?" Kelly said. "What do you think about how it went in the days after? Any regrets on it? I think we both know the answer to that: No."
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