Ever since last week’s Republican debate on Fox News and his flap over Megyn Kelly, Donald Trump has been on a lot of sh*t lists, and not just those belonging to people who bleed from “wherever.” Some GOP events have banned him, but it’s his rift with Roger Ailes and Fox News that may give Trump an even bigger problem.
Trump refused to apologize for his comments about Kelly’s “hormonal state” during the debate, and said that anyone who thought he was referring to her period was “a deviant,” and that was just trying to get on with his thought. For her part, Kelly said she wouldn’t apologize for asking the pointed questions that she chose. Over the weekend, it appeared that after a series of private phone calls between Trump’s camp and Fox News (but not Ailes himself because he refused to speak to Trump), the hatchet was buried as long as Trump stopped attacking Kelly; he retweeted a user who called her a “bimbo” and openly trolled Kelly in the hours following the debate.
Then, on Monday, something changed. Why? Because Donald Trump is unable to control himself. When Trump appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, he doubled down and said that Kelly should apologize to him for asking him questions about his immature attacks on women. Ailes saw that and was less than pleased. However, Trump is a big draw for Fox News and, as Trump will remind you like a vegan who does CrossFit, he continues to lead the polls. They needed each other.
Ailes released a statement later that day saying “the air was clear” between the network and the candidate; Trump said on Twitter that Ailes was “a great guy” who would treat him “fairly.” But insiders say that this is far from being fully resolved.
Trump was welcomed back to Fox News on Fox and Friends on Tuesday morning, and coverage that did not include the Kelly flap continued. No apologies were exchanged, but Kelly’s prime-time show addressing the controversy earned itself huge ratings, as did Trump’s interview with Sean Hannity that aired in the slot after her show.
But despite the ratings coup, Fox News executives can’t stand Trump and many think that his whining got Ailes to lay his sword down in surrender. He’s bossing them around now, while Trump agrees to an exclusive interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd on Meet the Press this Sunday.
It’s hard to think that because he’s such good business for them that Fox News will ever ban Donald Trump from appearing on their airwaves. He could attack their entire staff, and he probably will eventually, but Trump equals ratings for them, and Fox News wears their ratings like a teenage ’90s douchebag wears his first tribal tattoo. This will most likely continue to be an abusive relationship between two incredibly arrogant parties, one of whom knows he’s the boss, the other afraid to see their reputation go down the drain.
(Source: CNN Money)
