In a just-released statement, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump immediately responded to a statement released by Roger Ailes Tuesday by disputing the Fox News chief’s defense of Megyn Kelly as a “quality journalist.”
“I totally disagree with the FOX Statement,” Trump writes. “I do not think Megyn Kelly is a quality journalist. I think her questioning of me … was unfair. Hopefully in the future I will be proven wrong and she will be able to elevate her standards to a level of professionalism that a network such as FOX deserves.
Full statement below courtesy of Politico:
Where things stand now is that Trump is refusing to apologize, defiantly promoting CNN, and undoubtedly eager to see if CNN’s live coverage of his Iowa speech beats the powerful primetime line-up at Fox News (should they choose not to cover it).
Overall, though, while many in the media and Republican Establishment are writing Trump’s attacks on Kelly off as petty and thin-skinned, methinks they might once again be under-estimating the billionaire businessman.
By fearlessly and relentlessly going after a very powerful journalist who works at a very powerful network who he believes treated him unfairly, Trump is sending a painfully obvious message to the rest of the mainstream media: If you don’t treat me fairly you will pay a price.
Call it intimidation. Call it negotiation. Whatever you want to call it, we have never before seen a Republican candidate stand up in this way to the media.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
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