Trump called Megyn Kelly ‘nasty’ 9 years ago. She just helped deliver his closing message

Conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly delivered a fiery reside supporting Donald Trump during an arena billed arsenic his “closing message” connected Monday night, a full-circle infinitesimal aft nan erstwhile president and nan onetime Fox News prima feuded bitterly during Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Invited to nan shape successful Pittsburgh, Kelly defended Trump against caller controversies, including his repeated pledge to beryllium nan “protector” of women, and pressed his lawsuit connected separator information and his opposition to transgender athletes participating successful sports.

“He sewage mocked by nan near by saying he would beryllium a protector of women,” Kelly said. “He will beryllium a protector of women and it’s why I’m voting for him. He will adjacent nan separator and he will support nan boys retired of women’s sports wherever they don’t belong.”

Trump stood to nan side, grinning and beaming, arsenic he listened to nan commentator he erstwhile called “nasty.”

Afterward, she posted a selfie pinch nan erstwhile president connected X that was captioned successful part: “God bless him. Go ballot for him!”

Kelly was a celebrated Fox News big successful 2016 erstwhile she questioned Trump during nan first statement of nan Republican superior astir whether he had nan temperament to beryllium president.

Trump mostly dismissed Kelly’s mobility astatine nan debate, but later he went straight aft her, first overnight connected Twitter and later successful interviews.

“She’s not very reliable and not very sharp,” Trump told CNN successful a telephone interview. “I don’t respect her arsenic a journalist.”

Referring to Kelly’s questions during nan debate, Trump said, “There was humor coming retired of her eyes, humor coming retired of her wherever.” The remark was wide viewed arsenic a sexist reference to menstruation.

Trump later boycotted different statement connected Fox because Kelly was 1 of nan moderators.

Kelly near Fox for NBC News. She was taken disconnected nan aerial pursuing an uproar erstwhile she suggested it was OK for achromatic group to deterioration blackface connected Halloween.

She now hosts a SiriusXM outer power show that she has built into 1 of nan highest-ranked connected Chartable’s database of news podcasts.

“All that delirium betwixt us,” Kelly said past year, “is nether nan bridge.”

Kelly’s quality pinch Trump comes arsenic early voting suggests a gender spread that favors Democrat Kamala Harris.

Kelly was captious of immoderate of nan speakers who delivered crude and racist comments astatine Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally past month. One suggested that Harris, who is vying to go nan first woman, Black female and personification of South Asian descent to beryllium elected president, began her profession arsenic a prostitute.

The speakers, Kelly said, “took what was an astonishing ceremony of Trump, breathtaking and well-attended and hugely enthusiastic, and gave themselves a large achromatic eye.”