Fox’s Megyn Kelly was the type of journalist when talking to Mr. Deray McKesson that she wasn’t in a televised special with Mr. Donald Trump.
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She was combative and somewhat contemptible during the televised interview with him. Her questions were repetitive and determined for an answer. She was firm, not fluffy, and her body language had a dismissive air about it. This behavior by Fox’s Megyn Kelly one would think would be exhibited when confronting Mr. Donald Trump, the asinine presumptive Republican presidential nominee who to Ms. Kelly had made abhorrent personal and professional remarks, including calling her a light-weight journalist.
But it wasn’t, instead the abrasiveness was reserved most recently for Mr. Deray McKesson, the ubiquitous #BlackLivesMatter activist and former candidate for Mayor of Baltimore who appeared on ‘The Kelly Fire,’ Ms. Kelly’s evening news show, to discuss the not-guilty verdict for Mr. Edward Nero, one of the Baltimore police officers who was on the scene when Mr. Freddie Gray, who was gravely injured while in police custody, was initially stopped and arrested in a high-crime area – his crime is assumed to be running from the police while black.
Unlike in her interview with Mr. Trump, which was reviewed unfavorably by a host of media critics – The New Yorker characterized it a “useless exercise, except, perhaps, for those watching from one group: Republicans looking for a script for how to surrender to Donald Trump” – Ms. Kelly grilled Mr. McKesson on whether he agreed that the verdict was racist, and then pushed him to explain what Mr. Nero did wrong. After roughly four minutes, Ms. Kelly abruptly ended the segment in order to begin anew with the father of the acquitted cop.
In contrast, when sitting down with Mr. Trump, whose mere existence on the campaign trial is worthy of scrutiny, Ms. Kelly, in the words of Mr. Eric Boehlert of Media Matters, “practically bowed in Trump’s presence.”
But to be fair, Ms. Kelly has been rigid in her interviews with others, which makes the softball interview with Mr. Trump, a media-savvy billionaire with an expertise for dodging hard questions, even more puzzling. Why wouldn’t an experienced and regarded journalist like Ms. Kelly take advantage of a moment to probe a controversial and budding politician who could very likely be the next President of the United States?
Could it be that her politeness was exchanged for access to the unconventional candidate? The idea isn’t far-fetched, but Ms. Kelly has had a hit cable news show absent of Mr. Trump’s antics and appearances, so it’s not as if she’s desperate for content. It could be, though, that her higher powers wanted her to play nice with a personality who is arguably one of the biggest draws in modern media and politics.
We observers may never know why Ms. Kelly took a break from being the tough journalist she’s marketed as and is capable of being and instead portrayed herself as a groupie of Mr. Trump’s. But we observers should remain heartened, particularly when replaying her interview with Mr. McKesson, that the mother and former attorney is capable of more than just fluff, she can actually asks follow-up questions.
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Source: 30dB.com – Megyn Kelly and Donald Trump and Interview
Between the shots she is taking from social on her softball interview and her terse defense Megyn Kelly may be wishing she was back in Trump’s crosshairs. — Howard K. 30db
Photo: Getty Images