Megyn Kelly & Donald Trump’s Feud Could Resurface

Thursday night, GOP front-runner Donald Trump and Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly will come face-to-face in another presidential debate, with a high possibility of their ongoing feud leading to even more bickering. For Fox News' second GOP debate this primary season, the network decided to keep the same moderators: Kelly, Special Report anchor Bret Baier, and Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace. Because the journalist and the real estate tycoon never really settled their differences, Kelly and Trump's feud could rear its ugly, yet amusing, head again.

The conflict began at the very first Republican debate Aug. 6, when Kelly called Trump out for calling women "fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals" in the past. The next day, Trump told CNN's Don Lemon, "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever," implying that she was picking on him because she was menstruating. The presidential contender tried to backtrack and say that by "her wherever" he meant her nose, but it was too late — the feud had already formed. In true Trump fashion, he didn't accept responsibility for the offensive comment, and even claimed that Kelly should apologize to him for her blunt debate question.

Kelly never directly responded to Trump's sexist diss, but did comment on why she asked him the question in the first place. In an interview on Fox News' Mediabuzz, she said: "My job is not to feel passionate about these candidates. My job is to ask probing questions that are hopefully smart and help the people hopefully learn something about this person, and in this context, his weaknesses."

Kelly noted that Trump wasn't the only candidate she asked pointed questions — she also asked Scott Walker (who's since left the race) if he would allow a woman to die rather than let her get an abortion. "The job is to get past the talking points and go to the place where they might be most vulnerable with the Republican primary voters, or conversely, the place where they might be most vulnerable in a general election, and then give them a chance to knock that ball back to us," she explained on Mediabuzz.

In response to Kelly's debate question about his past sexist comments, the GOP front-runner responded that Rosie O'Donnell is the only woman he's insulted, and Kelly let his answer slide. In the same Mediabuzz interview, she said: "I'm sure the nerves were high, as they were for all the candidates." The news anchor was pretty used to dealing with criticism and upset interviewees, so her feelings weren't too hurt. "It's OK, I'm a big girl, I can take it," she said.

Since August, Kelly and Trump haven't had any major run-ins, though Kelly usually discusses the presidential debates. After the last Republican forum Jan. 14, she responded to a key argument between Trump and Ted Cruz (his runner-up) over Cruz's eligibility to be president, as he was born in Canada to U.S. citizens. On her show, The Kelly File, Kelly said the tussle was "remarkable" and thought Trump had upped his game, saying: "We saw a more robust Donald Trump tonight too, because he's been much more subdued in these debates. But tonight, he seemed ready to rumble."

Since it's not likely that Kelly will water down her debate questions Thursday, Trump could take offense to some of her probing questions and reignite their personal battle. Whether she asks him about his treatment of women, abortion, or directly brings up his snide remarks about her, the debate will definitely be worth watching.