Category: Conflict Averse

Donald Trump Conducted Poll To Skip Fox News’ Debate

Donald Trump is polling his followers to figure out whether he should participate in Thursday’s Fox News debate.

Trump shared a Twitter poll with his followers asking if he should participate in the debate — considering that Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly will be one of the moderators.

In a corresponding Instagram video, Trump reiterated his criticism of Kelly’s supposed bias against him.

“Megyn Kelly is really biased against me. She knows that, I know that, everybody knows that,” Trump said. “Do you really think that she could be fair at a debate?”

Trump has participated in an on-again, off-again feud with Fox News and Kelly after she asked him a pointed question during the first GOP debate in August about his past comments directed at women. Trump suggested in a CNN interview Monday that he was unsure whether he would participate.

“I don’t think she can treat me fairly, actually. I think she’s very biased. And I don’t think she can treat me fairly. But that doesn’t mean I don’t do the debates. I like doing the debate. I’ve won every single debate, according to every poll,” he said.

Fox has brushed off Trump’s concerns, mocking the reality television star for his reluctance to participate in a debate moderated by Kelly.

In a statement to Business Insider, the network pointed out that the president needs to meet with world leaders who often do not treat the US fairly.

“We learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president,” a Fox News spokesperson said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “A nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings.”

On Monday, the network said it was “surprised” that the outspoken Republican front-runner appeared threatened by Kelly.

“Sooner or later Donald Trump, even if he’s president, is going to have to learn that he doesn’t get to pick the journalists — we’re very surprised he’s willing to show that much fear about being questioned by Megyn Kelly,” the Fox representative told Business Insider in a statement.

Reality

With 157,864 votes a majority of 56% said ‘yes’ to attending the GOP debate. Trump skipped the debate and lost Iowa to Ted Cruz.

Media

Should I do the #GOPdebate?

A post shared by President Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on

 

Donald Trump is Scared of Megyn Kelly

Trump has been accusing Megyn Kelly of unfair treatment ever since he stepped off stage at the first Fox News debate in August.

But he’s ratcheted up those attacks in recent days in an apparent attempt to influence the Fox News moderators ahead of Thursday’s debate.

“I don’t like her. She doesn’t treat me fairly. I’m not a big fan of hers at all,” Trump said during Monday’s interview.

He also claimed that he “might be the best thing that ever happened to her,” because no one had ever heard of her before the August debate.

Trump also suggested he might skip the debate unless he was confident Kelly would treat him fairly, but then walked back those remarks:

“I’ll see. If I think I’ll be treated unfairly, I’ll do something else,” he said. “I think she’s very biased and I don’t think she can treat me fairly, but that doesn’t mean I don’t do the debate. I like doing the debates.”

And last week, Trump tweeted that Kelly “should not be allowed” to moderate the debate because of her “conflict of interest and bias.”

(h/t CNN)

Reality

Fox responded, “Sooner or later Donald Trump, even if he’s president, is going to have to learn that he doesn’t get to pick the journalists — we’re very surprised he’s willing to show that much fear about being questioned by Megyn Kelly.”

Trump’s indecision was echoed by Lewandowski, who told New York, “We haven’t said he’ll be there, and we haven’t said he won’t be there. The bottom line is Megyn Kelly shouldn’t be rewarded for her media bias.”

Media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkIvptFT1mM

Trump Tweets Disappointment Megyn Kelly Will Moderate Debate

Twitter

Donald Trump retweeted several attacks on Megyn Kelly as a moderator of the Fox News/Google debate a few days before the event on Twitter.

“@Sharp_Trident: A huge disappointment to see @megynkelly constantly attack DonaldTrump. It has become almost unbearable to watch her show.”

Reality

Trump has had an issue with Kelly since she moderated a Republican presidential debate in August. He accused her of being unfairly harsh on him by asking him valid questions about past sexist and misogynist comments. Fox News is standing by its anchor, calling the attacks on her “sexist verbal assaults.”

 

Trump Rekindles Feud With Megyn Kelly Ahead of Fox News Debate

Trump’s feud with Megan Kelly has been one of the most memorable storylines of this raucous GOP primary. In recent weeks, it has heated up. In a lengthy Vanity Fair profile this month, Kelly boasted of writing the now-famous debate question about Trump’s history of misogynistic comments, which ignited the feud this summer. And last week, Kelly sarcastically brought up Sarah Palin’s Trump endorsement, as well as hosted National Review editor Rich Lowry to promote the National Review’s anti-Trump issue.

Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, indicated that Trump could walk away from the debate if Fox won’t exclude Kelly. “Let’s see what happens,” he told me. “It’s fair to say Mr. Trump is a significant ratings driver for these debates. If we aren’t on stage for some reason, they wouldn’t have the record 24 million viewers and would be back with 1-2 million people.”

In the past, the Republican National Committee has banned media it deems unfair. It canceled a debate on NBC, and excluded the Manchester Union Leader and National Review after both outlets attacked Trump. But in this case, the RNC won’t be getting involved. “It’s up to Fox,” Sean Spicer, the Republican National Committee chief strategist, told me.

In a statement to reporters, Fox News spokesperson Irena Briganti said: “Megyn Kelly has no conflict of interest. Donald Trump is just trying to build up the audience for Thursday’s debate, for which we thank him.”

For Fox News chief Roger Ailes, Trump’s threat of a debate boycott raises the stakes in a war that Ailes has struggled to develop a playbook for. Historically, Ailes’s strategy in situations where his stars are attacked is to follow a version of the Powell Doctrine: Apply overwhelming force. But Trump’s popularity with the GOP base — that is, Fox viewers — has forced Ailes to make a choice between his audience and Kelly. In the wake of the first debate, Ailes was said to be rattled by the volume of anti-Kelly emails Fox News received from Trump supporters. Kelly told people she was receiving death threats, and Fox did not have a ready response. Ailes, who is less of a presence at Fox, now has to make another choice, which could result in the GOP front runner walking away.

Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign manager, told me Trump could stage his own televised town hall on Thursday night and let Fox’s rivals air it. “That would be a great idea,” he said.

Trump Tweets Megyn Kelly Should Not Moderate Debates

Twitter

Donald Trump voiced his disapproval of Megyn Kelly as a moderator of the Fox News/Google debate a few days before the event on Twitter. Trump made similar comments in a campaign rally in Iowa the same day.

Based on @MegynKelly’s conflict of interest and bias she should not be allowed to be a moderator of the next debate.

(h/t Politifact)

Reality

Trump has had an issue with Kelly since she moderated a Republican presidential debate in August. He accused her of being unfairly harsh on him by asking him valid questions about past sexist and misogynist comments.

Fox responded, “Megyn Kelly has no conflict of interest. Donald Trump is just trying to build up the audience for Thursday’s debate, for which we thank him.”

Trump repeated his position that Kelly “should recuse herself from the upcoming Fox News debate,” according to Boston Globe reporter James Pindell.

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