On Wednesday's The Kelly File, Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly touted Donald Trump's interview on CNN's New Day hours earlier where "he slams the very network he's on the phone with — something he is apparently fond of doing." Trump attacked CNN correspondent Sara Murray several times during Chris Cuomo's interview of the Republican presidential candidate. Kelly contended that the billionaire was "just as ornery as ever about reporters who don't cover him exactly the way he wants to be covered." [video below]
The Fox News host later targeted Cuomo himself for apparently being too deferential to Trump: "You have reporters, like Chris Cuomo in this instance — and it's happened on other networks — where the reporter interviewing Trump in the moment says, am I fair? Do you think I'm fair? I'm fair, though, right? Do you think I've been fair in this interview?"
Kelly led into the panel discussion with Howard Kurtz and Dana Perino by noting that Trump was still number one in the latest Fox News and Quinnipiac University polls. However, she also pointed out that "Carson, Senator Rubio, Senator Cruz all beat Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in a head-to-head match-up — the Republican who does not beat Mrs. Clinton: Donald Trump, who falls short 43 to Clinton's 46 percent."
After playing a compilation of the GOP front-runner's jabs at Murray from New Day, the Fox News anchor turned to Kurtz and used her "just as ornery as ever" line about Trump. Kurtz replied with an anecdote from the press conference where the CNN correspondent supposedly displeased the billionaire candidate:
HOWARD KURTZ: This is really strange, Megyn. I was at the Trump Tower press conference, and Trump was praising CNN's Sara Murray for asking, what he said, was a great question, a wonderful question. So, then, the next morning, he goes ballistic. He's on CNN ripping the CNN correspondent. Chris Cuomo keep trying to move on while defending his reporter. He goes on and on and on. And yes, it is true there was a massive line for the book signing outside Trump Tower. CNN's camera was inside, so it showed a few press people. Nothing gets Donald Trump more infuriated than when he thinks the media...are ignoring his huge crowds.
Kelly followed up by detailing how Murray has given Trump some favorable coverage. The host added, "But the problem, Dana, is, unless you say it just the way he wants you to say it, you get hit." Perino responded, in part, that the Republican "spends so much time talking about the size of his line. It's just an obsession that I don't think serves him well."
The Fox News personality then went after Cuomo. Kurtz countered that the CNN anchor did have a record of going after Trump: "Well, in fairness, Cuomo has really tangled with Trump in a number of interviews."
The transcript of the relevant portion of the November 4, 2015 edition of Fox News Channel's The Kelly File:
MEGYN KELLY: Well, breaking tonight: two new polls out today with a mixed message for the man previously leading the GOP race for the White House. Donald Trump, Republican 2016 front-runner, keeps his number-one spot in a Fox poll out just hours ago — maintaining his lead over Dr. Ben Carson. He also has a slight edge over Carson in the Quinnipiac poll out today, but it is within the margin of error.
The general election match-ups out in these polls, however, paint a different picture for the GOP front-runner. Dr. Carson, Senator [Marco] Rubio, Senator [Ted] Cruz all beat Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in a head-to-head match-up — the Republican who does not beat Mrs. Clinton: Donald Trump, who falls short 43 to Clinton's 46 percent. All of this as Trump makes headlines this morning for an interview with another network where he slams the very network he's on the phone with — something he is apparently fond of doing.
DONALD TRUMP (from CNN's New Day): You know, I'm getting the biggest crowds by far. Yesterday, other than Sara Murray didn't report it very well, because she never flips the camera to show the lines. I think she's absolutely terrible — your reporter—
CHRIS CUOMO: The book's selling well—
TRUMP: If you listen to Sara Murray, you think there were three people standing in the atrium of Trump Tower. Either she's a very unemotional person, or she's not a very good reporter. You are top notch. I don't see it with Sara Murray. You have me followed by Sara Murray, and she doesn't know what she's doing.
CUOMO: Listen, Mr. Trump, you have to — you get the most attention.
TRUMP: I don't know if that's because she's incompetent, or she doesn't like me, or maybe she's given instructions from up above. There has to be an agenda some place in CNN.
KELLY: (unidentified man laughs off camera) Howie Kurtz is the host of Media Buzz. Dana Perino is a co-host of The Five right here on Fox, and served as White House press secretary to President George W. Bush. So Howie, good to see you.
You know, as Trump gets challenged by Dr. Carson in more and more polls — and, as of this morning, Carson actually was the front-runner in the Real Clear Politics average of all polls, which preceded the Fox News poll where Trump is ahead, he's — he's getting a little bit sharper in his language against his competitors; and, I guess, just as ornery as ever about reporters who don't cover him exactly the way he wants to be covered.
HOWARD KURTZ: This is really strange, Megyn. I was at the Trump Tower press conference, and Trump was praising CNN's Sara Murray for asking, what he said, was a great question, a wonderful question. So, then, the next morning, he goes ballistic. He's on CNN ripping the CNN correspondent. Chris Cuomo keep trying to move on while defending his reporter. He goes on and on and on. And yes, it is true there was a massive line for the book signing outside Trump Tower. CNN's camera was inside, so it showed a few press people. Nothing gets Donald Trump more infuriated than when he thinks the media are not — are ignoring his huge crowds.
KELLY: Can I — can I just tell you — so, I don't really know this reporter very well, but we did — we took a quick look at her reports. She doesn't show the lines, he says. She did show crowds. She also verbally described the crowds. An October 21st piece she did focused on Trump's steady poll dominance — hinting that he would be the nominee. Another report was very fair, saying Carson's doing great, but so is trump. An October 26th piece — first line — Donald Trump knows how to rally a crowd. Leader Trump lures crowds by the thousands.
But the problem, Dana, is, unless you say it just the way he wants you to say it, you get hit. And the thing that happens on some of these networks is, they give him an unfettered arena in which to assault the press — which helps with some voters because they don't like reporters; they don't like the media. You know that from your time in the White House.
DANA PERINO: Right. So the media has a lower approval rating than the Congress — and that is hard to do.
KELLY: And the Congress is — is lower than a cockroach; so that makes us lower than the cockroaches, too. (laughs)
PERINO: So — so it's hard if you are in the press. I think Sara Murray is a great reporter, and I think Chris Cuomo did a nice job of trying to defend her. I also think that Donald Trump wasted a major opportunity to talk about his positions — or even to have said, if I were Donald Trump — and I'm not — but if I were, I would have said, Chris, did you see what happened last night? Republican victories — huge, all across the country. Why do you think that is, Chris? It's because of me. And they better stick with me because I'm going to take them through to 2016. Instead, he spends so much time talking about the size of his line. It's just an obsession that I don't think serves him well.
Now, he's up in the polls, so he will dismiss my criticism, I'm sure. But, I think I'm right.
KELLY: He's up in some polls, and he's losing some ground in other polls — because Carson is giving him a run for his money. And then, on the other hand, Howie, you have reporters, like Chris Cuomo in this instance — and it's happened on other networks — where the reporter interviewing Trump in the moment says, am I fair? Do you think I'm fair? I'm fair, though, right? Do you think I've been fair in this interview? And Rush Limbaugh was out today saying these reporters — they love it when Trump compliments them, and they hate it when he hits them; and they, somehow, need his praise. And if you happen to be a reporter who doesn't need his praise, that drives him crazy, too.
KURTZ: Well, in fairness, Cuomo has really tangled with Trump in a number of interviews.
