Donald Trump pushed back against allegations that his interaction during Thursday’s debate with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly proves he’s a misogynist and even tried turning the tables on some of his opponents for the Republican presidential nomination.
Making the rounds on Sunday morning news shows, he told ABC “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is actually the one who will have trouble with women voters.
“Jeb Bush, on women’s health issues, just destroyed his relationship with women … if you want to really get down to the important stuff, because what he said about women and women’s health issues was ridiculous; and I’m the exact opposite,” he said.
Trump denied that his comment about Kelly having “blood coming out of her eyes; blood coming out of her wherever,” was anything more than a reference to her being angry.
Saying that Kelly asked him a “very nasty question” when she inquired if his derogatory comments about women’s looks, such as ones he’s made about comedian Rosie O’Donnell, means he’s part of the war on women, Trump said that his response was in the mainstream.
“They’re very common statements. And only a deviant would think of what people said,” Trump said.
“I’ve always had a great relationship with women,” he said, adding that he has employed thousands of women.
“George, I was one of the first people in the construction industry to put women in charge of major construction projects and my relationship has been great,” he said.
Then he took a jab at former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, saying that her tenure was a “disaster.” He said no one discusses her “landslide” defeat in the 2010 California Senate race.
“And other than that, I wish her well; she’s a very nice person,” he said.
Trump steadfastly refused to apologize to Kelly because he said his comments didn’t merit an apology.
“Part of the problem we have in this country, we’re trying to be so politically correct that nobody can say anything anymore,” Trump told Stephanopoulos.
Then on CNN’s “State of the Union,” in discussing that other Republicans, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, found his remarks disturbing, Trump responded to host Jake Tapper by calling Graham a “loser.”
As for Fiorina: “Okay, give me a break. She’s got zero chance,” he said dismissively.
Trump also took credit for the debate’s impressive viewership.
“Do you think they would have had 24 million people watching that show if I wasn’t on?” he asked Tapper. Twenty-four million people didn’t tune in “to watch Carly Fiorina or Jeb Bush, that — or Lindsey Graham, who, by the way, has zero in the polls.”
