Donald Trump has come out fighting over his “blood” comments directed at Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, saying that only a “sick deviant” would think he was saying she was on her period.
Speaking to CNN’s Don Lemon in the aftermath of the Republican presidential nomination debate on Friday, Trump criticised Kelly’s “nasty” line of questioning and said: “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever.”
The comments have since seen Trump uninvited from the RedState GOP event, where he was due to deliver the keynote speech on Saturday. RedState.com editor Erick Erickson said “his remark about Megyn Kelly was bride too far”.
Rival Republican candidates Carly Fiorina, Scott Walker, Lindsey Graham, Rick Perry and George Pataki denounced the comments on Twitter or in statements, while former Florida Governor Jeb Bush called on Trump to apologise.
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But in a defiant series of press interviews on Sunday, Trump defended the words he used, denied intending to suggest Kelly was hormonal and refused to apologise.
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week”, he said: “I’ve always had a great relationship to the women. It’s always been amazing. They are amazing executives. They are killers – and it’s a great honour when you say that about women.
“They are phenomenal. They truly are amazingly talented.”
Defending what he said about Kelly, he told “This Week” he had “no apologies, none at all”. Presidential prowess? Republican candidates in televised debate
“She asked me a very, very nasty question. I said, ‘Blood was pouring from her eyes’, and then I said ‘Blood was pouring from her – wherever’, and I was referring to her nose, ears etc.
“What it means is a person is very angry. Only a deviant would think of what people have said, only a sick person would think that. And the only reason I topped in my thought was because I wanted to get on to the next subject.”
Trump also returned to CNN on Sunday to defend his comments. He told the broadcaster: “I cherish women, and I’m going to do things for women that no other candidate is going to be able to do.”
