After watching the segment below, all I can say is that if you want to see an interview that’s heavy on policy, look elsewhere. This was more Barbara Walters than FOX News Sunday. That’s not to say it isn’t interesting or worth watching, because it is.
“Megyn Kelly Presents” airs on the FOX Broadcast Network and not the FOX News Channel and this makes sense for reasons which are apparent. Kelly is obviously trying to expand her reach and kicking off this effort by interviewing Trump is brilliant from a ratings perspective.
The first six minutes of the segment recalls the rocky relationship between Kelly and Trump starting with the first GOP debate on FOX News in August of last year using clips from FNC and other news outlets.
Once the actual interview begins, it focuses more on the personal aspects of Trump’s life such as his older brother who died of alcoholism. Kelly asks Trump when it became apparent to him that he could win, his Twitter habits, the issue of bullying and his political strategy.
Next up is the contentious turn their professional relationship took after the infamous debate. The two manage to smooth things over and seem to agree to part friends. Trump defended his actions by suggesting he acted in his own defense.
FOX News describes the exchange:
The candidate addressed a range of topics in his sit-down with Kelly, from his tone to the lead-off presidential debates to his past clashes with the Fox News host.Trump conceded that, in looking back, he “absolutely” has regrets, without going into detail. But he said if he hadn’t conducted himself in this way, he wouldn’t have come out on top.“If I were soft, if I were presidential … in a way it’s a bad word, because there’s nothing wrong with being presidential, but if I had not fought back in the way I fought back, I don’t think I would have been successful,” he told Kelly.
The interview itself is about 15 minutes long and you can watch it below. If you know the backstory of Trump’s feud with Kelly, skip to the six minute mark for the beginning of the actual discussion:
Additional segments of the interview will be aired on the Kelly File on Wednesday night.
While scanning news reports on the interview, I found myself in agreement with CNN’s Brian Stelter. This was a win-win:
Megyn Kelly’s Donald Trump interview could be a big moment for both of themDonald Trump and Megyn Kelly both stand to benefit from Tuesday night’s prime time reconciliation.Trump is making peace with a media power player he has relentlessly criticized since last summer, and Kelly is getting a guaranteed ratings boost from the presumptive GOP nominee.The interview is not a debate-style inquisition — it is a more personal look at Trump and his temperament. Kelly has been promoting it for more than a week, but Fox still says there are some surprises in store during the actual broadcast.
In April, Megyn Kelly indicated that she’s not sure what she’ll do at the conclusion of her current contract at FOX News. We might be witnessing the launch of the next phase in her career.
[Featured image via YouTube.]
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