What a history. Long before their feud, Donald Trump actually praised Fox News' Megyn Kelly for her moderating skills.
Back in 2011, Trump, now 69, discussed possibly moderating a Newsmax Republican debate with Kelly, 45. (The idea fell to the wayside when presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum bowed out of the broadcast.) During the sit-down on America's Election Headquarters, Kelly asked Trump if he thought he was a better moderator than her.
Donald Trump and Megyn Kelly Alexander Tamargo/WireImage.com; Ron Antonelli/NY Daily News via Getty Images
"No, I could never beat you. That wouldn’t even be close," Trump said at the time. "That would be no contest. You have done a great job, by the way, and I mean it."
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A lot has changed in four years. As previously reported, their once friendly relationship turned sour in August 2015 when Kelly moderated a GOP debate. He alluded to her menstrual cycle after she called him out for his controversial comments about women. Last month, the former Celebrity Apprentice host also called Kelly the "most overrated anchor."
The feud hasn't died down since. This week, Trump — who is now the front-runner for the GOP nomination — is refusing to attend a Fox-hosted debate on Thursday, January 28, because of their ongoing war of words. He released a lengthy statement about his decision on Tuesday.
"Unlike the very stupid, highly incompetent people running our country into the ground, Mr. Trump knows when to walk away," the statement read. "Roger Ailes and Fox News think they can toy with him, but Mr. Trump doesn't play games."
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That same day, Kelly spoke about the situation on The Kelly File. "What's interesting here is Trump is not used to not controlling things as the chief executive of a large organization," she said. "But the truth is, he doesn't get to control the media, and while he's made his position clear about me after that first debate, Roger Ailes made his position clear too."
Watch Trump and Kelly's 2011 interview in the video above!
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