After Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against former Fox News boss Roger Ailes, Megyn Kelly defended her, and told lawyers that she had also been harassed by Ailes a decade ago. Ailes has denied all of the allegations against him, claiming they are defamatory. But other Fox News hosts, like Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren, have defended Ailes and his character — and they're not the only ones. Donald Trump has been defending Ailes, and he and his son Eric recently said that had Ivanka Trump been harassed at work, she would have left her job. Megyn Kelly's tweet in response to the Trumps' comments was just one word, but it spoke volumes about the frustration and pain she, Carlson, and others have felt.
Kelly retweeted a quote from Eric Trump on the subject of sexual harassment in the workplace: "Ivanka is a strong, powerful woman. She wouldn't allow herself to be subjected to it." Eric Trump's comment completely missed the point, of course — as did his father's suggestion that women leave their jobs when they're harassed instead of the perpetrator having to take responsibility. And Kelly managed to convey all of this with just one word: "Sigh." It's not as though this is her first time tackling the Trumps' sexism. The Republican presidential nominee made a bunch of sexist comments about her and other women during his campaign. Kelly called him out on it, but Trump didn't change his behavior.
Some people responded to Kelly on Twitter, asking her to do more than just "sigh" — to stand up and say something. But she has been saying something. While other Fox News hosts rushed to Ailes' defense, she appeared to be remaining silent, but she was not. She reportedly told investigators that Ailes had harassed her, and gave them a detailed explanation of what allegedly occurred. Kelly's willingness to say something likely meant a lot.
So when Kelly retweeted this quote from Trump, it was her way of reminding everyone that she was not silent at all. She made it clear that the Trumps don't understand sexual harassment in the workplace — an issue that she takes very seriously — and that women shouldn't have to walk away from their careers after being harassed on the job.
Kelly didn't need to say more than "Sigh." It spoke volumes, especially because in talking about Ivanka Trump this way, Eric and Donald Trump were putting the responsibility for ending workplace sexual harassment on the people being harassed, rather than the people who harass them — and that, as Kelly managed to convey with one simple word, is completely unacceptable.
