If you missed Megyn Kelly’s ballyhooed interview with Donald Trump last night, not to worry. That is, unless you’re dying to know the answers to such questions as where Trump is when he tweets, whether he really boycotted Fox News and what his favorite book is.
The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple nailed it. Noting that Kelly has described the months since Trump started attacking her as a “dark year in many ways,” Wemple gave her credit having “lightened the mood” now:
In her chat with Trump, Kelly verily joked around with Trump about this darkness. One representative moment came when discussing the atmospherics of a Trump tweet. “Set the scene for me, because I know where I was when I was on the receiving end of a lot of those tweets. But I’ve always wondered where you were. I’m picturing a crushed velvet smoking jacket, chaise lounge, slippers.” Hahahaha: Let’s now make light of Trump goading his millions of followers into sexist harassment. Later Kelly asked him about retweeting the word “bimbo.” Confronted, Trump said “Excuse me.”
[…]
What was missing from this interview was Kelly getting personal about what Trump had done to her. She came close with this question: “Have you given any thought in this position to the power that your messaging has on the lives of the people you target and the millions of people who take their cue from you?” Trump responded that he was indeed cognizant of his power.
Deference is generally appropriate in these situations — Kelly’s ordeal at the hands of Trump’s Twitter offensive is still pretty fresh, so she’s entitled to deal with it on her own schedule. Unless that schedule…is dictated by a book launch. At the end of “Megyn Kelly Presents,” the host said this: “In addition to the ‘Kelly File,’ I’ve been working on a project: A book which I’m unveiling right now. It’s called ‘Settle for More,’” said Kelly. In the book, continued Kelly, “For the first time, I’ll speak openly about my year with Donald Trump. You can pre-order it now wherever books are sold.”
And guess what? That book won’t come out until after the election.
Wemple was not the only one to pan Kelly’s interview. Media Matters caught a number of hilariously scathing and right-on-target tweets:
You can watch the full Trump interview below.
It was nothing more than a PR stunt for ratings, to help Trump along with his FOX “news” rehab and to let the viewers know that Kelly has a book coming out. The interview was an exercise in mediocrity and blatant self-promotion.
So Megyn goes through a dark period and, like an abused child, returns to the abuser seeking his consideration. Oh, Donald, where were sitting and what were you wearing when you raged at me I must have been having my period at the FOX sponsored Republican debate. Really? This is even a question?
Well, I guess the interview was hard-hitting in one respect. Megyn’s mouth was going down hard on Trump’s crotch as Chait tweets above. ;^)
