Did Megyn Kelly just spend an hour sanitizing Donald Trump's misogyny because she wants you to buy her book?
In August of last year, Megyn Kelly, the breakout Fox News host, asked Donald Trump a very reasonable debate question about his record of calling women he does not like “fat pigs” and “dogs.” Trump, now the presumptive Republican nominee, responded that Kelly’s question made him think that he should “probably maybe not be” so nice to her anymore.
He wasn’t. Later that night, he retweeted an account calling her a bimbo. The following day, he went on CNN and appraised her debate performance like this: “There was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”
The feud, or whatever you might call Trump’s fixation with Kelly, continued like that for months. Until Tuesday night, when the two sat down for an interview.
It was a fawning exchange, with Kelly laughing at Trump’s habit of hurling misogynistic bile her way and ignoring the last 10 months of his campaign—violence at rallies, pledges to ban Muslims from entering the country, bizarre and unnecessary lies about the provenance of steaks—in favor of questions about whether anyone has ever hurt his feelings.
It was an interview designed to give the impression that Trump has an inner life. It was also designed to promote Kelly’s just-announced book, Settle for More—which, she promised at the end of the show, was full of more details about her fight with Trump.
So to recap, here’s what we learned from the one-hour special that featured the first interview between Kelly and Trump since he suggested that her period made her bad at journalism:
Donald Trump was never bullied as a child.
Donald Trump doesn’t know whether someone has ever wounded him, you know, emotionally, but it’s something that he could certainly think about.
Donald Trump only kind of boycotted “The Kelly File” after he called her “crazy.”
Donald Trump does not read books in part because he is too busy watching Fox News.
Donald Trump is a real person, according to Donald Trump.
And here are some questions Kelly might have asked instead:
Donald Trump has a record of lying about things, like how Ted Cruz’s father maybe conspired to assassinate John F. Kennedy or how he is winning “every poll” with Latino voters. Will he stop lying quite so much if he wins the presidency?
Donald Trump has said—and then said he didn’t say—that he would “take out” the families of suspected terrorists and that the military would follow his orders even if they are illegal. Does he still plan to commit war crimes as part of his foreign policy platform?
Donald Trump has said the minimum wage is too high, but also that he would maybe raise the minimum wage. Does he have an actual position on the minimum wage?
Donald Trump has made repeated misogynistic statements about women, Megyn Kelly included. Does he think presidents should make repeated misogynistic statements about women?
Riveting television!