Ever since Megyn Kelly questioned Donald Trump’s treatment of women in the first Republican debate, he’s been on a mission to discredit the Fox News host. Trump remains upset over a series of relatively tame questions from the August primary debate. “You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals,” Kelly said to Trump as she asked him about his history of belittling women. At the time, Trump countered that he only called Rosie O’Donnell those names, a comment that earned applause and laughter from the audience.
Yet Trump has managed to demonstrate that Kelly’s line of questioning wasn’t exactly inaccurate. Ever since that debate, he’s focused on Kelly’s career and character; from tweets analyzing her show to comments about “blood coming out of her wherever,” and retweeting supporters calling her a “bimbo.” It’s been a standard Trump approach to discrediting a perceived opponent. And Trump is quite likely the only person who could position Kelly, and Fox News, as great feminist crusaders.