Megyn Kelly Under Fire for Trump Comments

Journalist and media personality Megyn Kelly is being criticized after she said she thought Donald Trump was “compelling,” “funny” and “interesting” during Wednesday night’s Fox News town hall.

Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, appeared during a live town hall on Fox News at the same time his GOP presidential rivals, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, faced off during the fifth GOP primary debate.

The former president maintains a significant lead over the other candidates and has yet to attend a GOP primary debate this election cycle. The dueling broadcasts were the final prime-time TV events before the 2024 Republican contest kicks off with the Iowa caucuses on January 15.

During Trump’s town hall, moderated by Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, he focused on his record in government and his pledges for a second term—including claims about ending foreign wars. He also claimed that if elected, he wouldn’t be a revenge-bent “dictator” and would have “no time for retribution.”

Kelly was impressed by Trump’s performance, sharing her thoughts on X, formerly Twitter. Newsweek emailed representatives for Trump and Kelly for comment Thursday.

“Switching b/t [between] CNN and Fox and there is just no comparison. Trump on TV is totally compelling. He’s funny, he’s interesting & he was very ‘on’ tonight. You see the 2 & think: okay- policy, principle, points-what if?? Then you see DT [Donald Trump] & remember,” she wrote.

Other X users have slammed the former Fox News and NBC host for her comments, with many saying it seems like she is more interested in being entertained than she is in politics.

“Megyn wants the circus for the clicks and ratings. She doesn’t care about the country or even that Trump has insulted her multiple times. It’s all just a show,” one person posted to the social media platform.

“With the country heading down the toilet, I didn’t sign up for laughing & to be entertained. I signed up for policy wins & execution. But most of the GOP Base prefers being entertained to policy, and that’s why Trump will be the nominee & lose again to The Dems,” said another.

“Megyn Kelly commented tonight that Trump was ‘funny’. He made her laugh I guess,” a third person wrote. “Since when is being a comedian a quality we need and want for a president? She and her media friends are what’s wrong with America. They report the news that makes them MONEY because she believes we need to be entertained all the time! She’s saying: Screw the 30+ trillion dollar deficit. I want to laugh.”

A fourth added: “Well that makes me believe you’re primary concern is being entertained and not having a thriving country.”

However, not everyone disagreed with Kelly, and some people were also impressed by Trump’s town hall appearance.

“Thought he showed great charm and restraint. He’s been getting better at this,” one Trump supporter commented.

“What struck me about Donald Trump tonight is how one of the most persecuted political figures in U.S. history could remains so optimistic about America’s future. It is quite the contrast with the unrelentingly dark manner that the major news media portrays him,” said another.

A third added: “President Trump is nailed it… and he looked great! Healthy, strong and with his usual sense of humor!”

Kelly and Trump have a long history, and she notably quizzed the former president about his history of misogynistic comments during a 2015 Republican debate, saying: “You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals.”

The line of questioning prompted attacks from Trump, who told CNN that “you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever.” Kelly was subsequently on the receiving end of a nine-month campaign of attacks from Trump and his supporters. In 2019 she described this period as a “scary time.”

But in July 2023, she said she and Trump are on great terms. Kelly said they met one-on-one during a Turning Point USA conference, years after he had described her as a “bimbo” and “crazy.”

“It was, frankly great to see him,” she said. “All that nonsense between us is under the bridge.”