The cease fire between Fox News and Donald Trump didn’t come easy.
CNN’s Brian Stelter reports network chairman Roger Ailes essentially cut to the chase during tense negotiations with Trump and told the GOP candidate, “We resolve this now… or go to war.”
Trump was reportedly demanding an on-air apology from Megyn Kelly — a non-starter for Ailes — while the Fox chief demanded the Donald stop bashing the cable news network on TV and Twitter.
The real estate mogul was furious with Ailes, thinking Kelly’s tough line of questioning at the first GOP debate came directly from him.
This dumbfounded Trump in light of the two men’s friendship spanning three decades.
“Donald felt betrayed,” Stelter reported. The plot thickened when Trump made controversial comments about Kelly having “blood” coming out of her “wherever.” Most pundits took this as an insinuation that Kelly was menstruating during the GOP debate, which Trump strongly denied.
This comment made Ailes “apoplectic,” but he contained his anger in favor of protecting both the network and Kelly’s image.
“Roger made the decision that as angry as he was, it was a priority to position Megyn above the fray and protect her image and that of Fox News,” Stelter reported. This meant ” not engaging in a public frenzy.”
The cease fire began on Tuesday, when Trump returned to Fox News on “Fox & Friends” and continued Tuesday and Wednesday night in appearances with Sean Hannity.
Fox News did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.