Megyn Kelly went a bit rogue again last night when she hosted liberal documentarian Michael Moore for what was mostly a friendly, unbiased interview about his new anti-Trump movie, TrumpLand, that the Trump campaign has touted as pro-Trump.
As Fox's Trace Gallagher explained before Moore came on The Kelly File, Moore reaches out to Trump supporters in his film and lets them know he understands Trump’s appeal.
MOORE: Whether Trump means it or not is kind of irrelevant because he’s saying the things to people who are hurting. And it’s why every beaten down nameless forgotten working stiff who used to be part of what was called the middle class loves Trump. He is the human Molotov cocktail that they’ve been waiting for. They’ve essentially lost everything they had except one thing. The one thing that doesn’t cost them a cent and is guaranteed to them by the American Constitution, the right to vote.
Although the Trump campaign has tried to use Moore’s film as an endorsement, in reality, Moore is trying to make common cause with Trump supporters in order to persuade them to vote for Hillary Clinton.
Nevertheless, Gallagher used his report to take some gratuitous swipes at Moore and promote Trump:
GALLAGHER: [Moore] even defended Trump supporters who he once called legal terrorists. Michael Moore is not a Trump fan but he makes a compelling case about why some people are.
After playing a clip from Moore’s film, Gallagher added, “Big question of whether he ginned up support for Trump.”
However, the following minutes with Kelly were decent. She asked a few probing, critical questions but they were fair. There was none of the partisan theatrics she has displayed with liberals such as Congressional Black Caucus member Al Green or ObamaCare architect Ezekiel Emanuel.
For example, there was this exchange:
MOORE: if we elect Donald Trump as president of this country, it won’t be the same country after four years. I’m absolutely convinced of that. This is the most vile disgusting candidate that has ever run for office in this country.
KELLY: How can you say that when you, you know, you understand the white working class.
MOORE: Yes.
KELLY: You know, you appeal to them time and time again.
MOORE: Yes.
KELLY: You understand. You outline perfectly why they’re attracted to him. They want him to blow things up.
And even when Kelly gave her viewers a winky-wink to let them know she’s still one of them, she allowed Moore to make his case:
MOORE: Right. So, I’m here and I’m here on Fox to appeal to people who are watching to not do that. I understand why you’re angry. You have every right to be angry. The system has failed you. But he is not the solution to this. And I make the case in the film—the film is sort of a humorous love poem to Hillary Clinton. Because—
(LAUGHTER)
KELLY: I can hear the ticket sales now.
MOORE: Yes. Well, it’s been number one on iTunes since last Friday.
KELLY: Thanks to Trump.
Moore even got in a little dig at Fox News after Kelly asked if he thought Trump’s promotion of TrumpLand was a mistake or deliberate.
KELLY: Do you think it’s knowing? Do you think it’s knowing? Or it’s just an error that they haven’t—
MOORE: Well, there is no error. No. It’s either they’re dumb and I honestly don’t think they are. Or they know they’re—
KELLY: That they’re misleading?
MOORE: Dumb like a Fox maybe. They’re misleading people because they’re counting on the fact that people who are in the working class are so desperate and so hurt by what has happened to them that all they’ll do is hear those few words and not hear the rest of my paragraph.
KELLY: But even before you articulated very well how they feel, they were with Donald Trump. He’s beating her by 33 points with the white working
class.MOORE: Yes.
KELLY: Thirty three points. I mean, it’s huge. They are attracted not just to the messenger but to the message too.
MOORE: Yes. That’s sad. Really sad.
No, I’m not going soft on Kelly. But when she deserves praise, I like to give it to her. More significantly, this segment speaks to the kind of work I think she wants to do as well as the fact that Fox is letting her do it. On top of all that, it was interesting.
Watch it below, from the October 27, 2016 The Kelly File.
(All transcript excerpts via Fox News.)
Crossposted at Newshounds.us