Why Trump is Afraid of 'Crazy' Megyn Kelly
It would appear the Gov. Chris Christie was right the first time, before he joined Donald Trump's posse, when he told Fox News host Greta van Susteren that the Donald's temperament was unsuitable for a man who wanted to be our next President of the United States.
The latest example of that temperament was Trump's call for a boycott of Fox News' Megyn Kelly, whose first offense against the Trump ego was to question him vigorously on his attitude and remarks toward women in the first Fox News-hosted debate. As The Hill reports:
GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump is urging his supporters to stop watching Megyn Kelly's show on Fox News.
"Everybody should boycott the @megynkelly show," he tweeted Friday, referencing "The Kelly File." "Never worth watching. [It is] always a hit on Trump. She is sick [and] the most overrated person on TV."….
Trump's call for a boycott is just the latest escalation in his feud with Kelly. The two sparred during the first GOP presidential debate in Cleveland on Aug. 6th. Kelly, a moderator, sharply questioned Trump over his past remarks towards women.
Trump was outraged by Kelly's questioning, saying a day later that "she had blood coming out of her nose -- out of her wherever." He then skipped the Fox News-hosted debate in Des Moines, objecting to Kelly's role as a moderator.
Out of her "whatever"? The "unifier" who speaks of "little Marco" and "lyin' Ted" and thought Carly Fiona's face was unsuited for the Oval Office has a problem with anyone who does not join his cult of personality in which he tells people to raise their hand and pledge allegiance -- to him.
Most recently, he skipped the scheduled March 21 Fox News debate in Salt Lake City. Down to three candidates, he has few people left to mock. With two hours divided among three candidates, he would have much more time to expound on his stands on the issues. But given his track record, after talking about his poll numbers and hurling insults at his opponents, what would he do for the next hour and 55 minutes?
He would also have had to face Megyn Kelly one more time, of whom he tweeted:
Crazy @megynkelly says I don't (won't) go on her show and she still gets good ratings. But almost all of her shows are negative hits on me! (10:14 AM - 19 Mar 2016)
Wah, wah, wah. Many in social media have asked the obvious question -- if he can't face Megyn Kelly, how will he handle Vladimir Putin, China, Iran, North Korea, or the Islamic State? Maybe he skipped the Utah debate because he was afraid Megyn Kelly would grill him on his fabrications about the questionable activities of Trump University and its ratings by the Better Business Bureau. As Newsmax notes:
Fox News Channel anchor Megyn Kelly on Monday accused Donald Trump of a "head fake" when he said his Trump University was upgraded from a "D-minus" Better Business Bureau rating to an "A."
Trump first challenged Kelly during the most recent Republican presidential debate, at which she was a moderator. During a commercial break, Trump handed the moderators a faxed paper he said showed the school, which is the subject of a fraud lawsuit in New York and a class-actions suits from some former students, currently has an "A" rating.
Kelly noted Monday that the BBB denied sending the fax to the Trump campaign, and she added that the D-minus was never upgraded until after the name was changed to Trump Entrepreneurial Initiative and stopped accepting new students.
"Mr. Trump now accuses your humble debate moderator of dishonesty," Kelly said. "We stand by our reporting, which has been verified by multiple news organizations as well as the Better Business Bureau. Trump University had a 'D-minus' rating before it went out of business in 2010. The claim about the 'A' is quite simply a head fake."
Trump did not want to answer questions about Trump University, which he falsely claimed was still open for business, the lawsuits against it, or the fake Better Business Bureau fax, particularly if the questions come from woman -- Megyn Kelly.
The Trump University fraud case is serious business, one that speaks volumes about Trump's business ethics and exactly how much "art" is in his "deal". New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman calls it a "straightforward fraud case". As the New York Daily News reported on Sunday:
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Sunday rejected suggestions that his office's case against presidential candidate Donald Trump's defunct "Trump University" was at all political.
"This is a straightforward fraud case. We never had any idea in 2013 the guy was going to run for president," Schneiderman said on John Catsimatidis' "Cats Roundtable" program on AM 970. "This is not a political case. This just a case where a lot of New Yorkers were ripped off."
"There were thousands of folks who thought they were going to learn from real estate experts who were handpicked by Trump and that they would learn his personal secrets," Schneiderman said. "Thousands of people (who) paid as much as $35,000 to $45,000."
Trump has said that he knows more politicians than any of his opponents and that he contributed to those of both parties, including Hillary Clinton, because it's good for his business ventures. One of those politicians is Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who recently endorsed Trump. As the Miami Heraldnoted on March 14, the day before Super Tuesday and the critical Florida primary:
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday became the first big-name Republican official in the state to endorse Donald Trump for president…
The endorsement, however, dredged up a nearly three-year-old question from the last time Bondi and Trump made headlines together: Why didn't the Florida attorney general's office investigate fraud complaints against Trump University?
In the fall of 2013, Bondi was preparing for a re-election bid and a for-profit college called Trump University had just been sued by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The lawsuit alleged that Trump University had "scammed" more than 5,000 people out of more than $40 million by falsely promising to teach them the tools to Trump's real estate success.
Maybe Megyn Kelly would have asked about that too, the possibility that Trump contributes to politicians of all stripes to buy influence. But as has been the pattern, Trump does not like tough questions. He prefers a fawning press that has provided him with $1.8 billion worth of free air time. As the Atlantic notes in its March 16 interview:
Trump's knack for securing free media coverage is undoubtedly a skill honed during his time as a reality-television star. The presidential candidate always seems to know just what to say and do to tap into coverage when it's to his advantage. He surely also knows when it's strategic to shun the spotlight. That secondary consideration is likely at play in Trump's decision to sit out the now-canceled Fox News debate. The network has previously confronted Trump over apparent inconsistencies in his record and statements that would sink any other candidate during past debates.
Trump can run from Megyn Kelly, but he can't hide from the truth.
Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investor's Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
No comments:
Post a Comment