The big media story last week was Donald Trump’s
announcement that he was withdrawing from the Fox GOP debate. The formal reason given was that Megyn Kelly
would be a moderator. (She had “earned”
Trump’s ire by asking him to explain his verbal attacks on women.)
Fox rebuffed his efforts to have her removed from the panel
and sent out a press release ridiculing the demand. That response further inflamed him.
Some have suggested that Trump’s “no-show” was a political
calculation allowing him to avoid expected attacks from other GOP contenders
that Thursday night. Maybe so. But there was plainly a vindictive edge to “the
Donald’s” action. He gloated that his
absence from the debate stage would reduce the TV audience and, hence, cost Fox
money. [It did not.]
The irony is that Fox News must assume substantial credit
(whether that’s a positive depends on one’s perspective) for Donald Trump’s prominence
as a Republican candidate for President.
In the past several years – including well before Trump’s
formal entry into the contest – he has appeared seemingly countless times
(certainly over one hundred and many more than other candidates), receiving
often fawning attention, particularly from the morning Fox and Friends hosts
and Sean Hannity.
That extensive and friendly exposure undoubtedly helped
legitimize for many faithful conservative Fox viewers the candidacy of a New
York real estate developer and “former” liberal and Hillary Clinton supporter.
Perhaps, Fox was surprised by Trump’s lack of
gratitude. But so, too, was Dr.
Frankenstein surprised by the monster he had created.
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