CNN: Fox’s Megyn Kelly Meets Privately With Donald Trump

CNN Money Reports Meeting “Raises Possibility Of A Kelly-Trump Interview”

Written by Media Matters Staff

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Megyn Kelly met GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump at his Manhattan skyscraper, Trump Tower, Wednesday morning for a private meeting, CNN Money reported.

Trump has been feuding with Fox and Kelly since she questioned Trump about his offensive remarks toward women during a Fox News GOP primary debate in August. Trump said Kelly “had blood coming out of her eyes” and “her wherever” after the debate, promoted a tweet describing her as a “bimbo,” and called her a “lightweight reporter.” Trump boycotted the following Fox News debate co-hosted by Kelly in January. Although Trump is a frequent Fox guest, logging more airtime than any of his competitors, the network pushed back against his frequent attacks on Kelly, saying his “sick obsession” and “vitriolic attacks” were “beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate.” CNN's report notes that Trump has not attacked Kelly since April 1.

CNN’s Brian Stelter reported that the meeting was prompted by Kelly reaching out to Trump’s office, and may indicate the possibility of a Trump-Kelly interview in the future. From CNN Money:

Donald Trump and the Fox News host Megyn Kelly met at Trump Tower on Wednesday morning, people with knowledge of the matter told CNNMoney.

Fox News chairman Roger Ailes was not in attendance, the people said.

An NBC reporter spotted Kelly entering Trump Tower shortly before noon.

Representatives for Trump and Fox had no immediate comment. But Kelly is planning to discuss the meeting on her prime time program Wednesday night.

Kelly reached out to Trump's office to set up the meeting, one of the sources said.

The face-to-face chat raises the possibility of a Kelly-Trump interview sometime in the future.

Kelly is known to be seeking high-profile guests for a Barbara Walters-style prime time special on the Fox broadcast network in May.

Later, during an interview on CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin, Stelter said the meeting was “the culmination of Kelly reaching out to Trump, seeking a face-to-face,” suggesting Kelly has been seeking a meeting for some time. From the April 13 edition of CNN's CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin:

BROOKE BALDWIN (HOST): A source tells CNN the Republican front-runner and Kelly met at Trump Tower in Manhattan. Trump's intense dislike of Kelly has been on display all throughout this campaign, so let's talk it over with the man with the scoop, CNN's senior media correspondent Brian Stelter, host of Reliable Sources. So what is the scoop? She rolled up into Trump Tower incognito?

BRIAN STELTER: Yeah, there's a real mystery about this. She hasn't commented on it yet. Neither has Trump. But my sources say this meeting was the culmination of Kelly reaching out to Trump, seeking a face-to-face. It was on-again-off-again for a while. It finally it happened this morning. And it is intriguing because if you think about all of Trump's targets, all the people that he seems to dislike, Megyn Kelly would be at the top of the list. He has criticized her viciously at times. He says that she is unfair to him, that he can't stand to watch her show. So if he's out, maybe having a détente with her, it would suggest to me that at the same time we're seeing him talking about wanting to unify the party, find unity within the GOP, maybe he's even trying to break bread or make amends with one of his critics.

UPDATE: Fox News issued a statement on the meeting, confirming that Chairman & CEO Roger Ailes and Megyn Kelly contacted Trump about appearing on Kelly's upcoming special on May 23. The statement said the results will be announced on tonight's edition of Fox News' The Kelly File: