Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been disinvited from keynote speaking at a conservative activist conference being held in Atlanta Saturday night over disparaging comments Trump made on Friday about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.
Trump was slated to speak at Erick Erickson's RedState gathering on Saturday at the College Football Hall of Fame, but Erickson told Trump's campaign manager Friday night that Trump was no longer welcome due to "demeaning" remarks he made about Kelly, who was one of three moderators at the first Republican debate Thursday night in Cleveland, according to The Washington Post.
"I have rescinded my invitation to Mr. Trump," Erickson, an influential conservative activist and blogger, tweeted Friday night. "While I have tried to give him great latitude, his remark about Megyn Kelly was a bridge too far."
I have rescinded my invitation to Mr.Trump. While I have tried to give him great latitude, his remark about Megyn Kelly was a bridge too far
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) August 8, 2015
Trump said during a CNN interview earlier Friday evening that Kelly "had blood coming out of her eyes ... blood coming out of her wherever," referring to what he believes was unfair treatment by Kelly during the debate.
Erickson, a Fox News regular and longtime foe of congressional GOP leaders, has issued his fair share of impolitic remarks as well, but he said that Trump's went a tad too far.
"I wanted to have him here as a legitimate candidate, but no legitimate candidate suggests somehow a female asking questions is doing it because she's hormonal," Erickson told reporters late Friday night, The Washington Post reported. "... I think he's disqualified himself at this point. When you make comments about a reporter like that -look, I've made plenty of comments about reporters in the past, male and female, but I've never once suggested one of them was angry because it was her time of the month. That's just a party foul. No candidate should do something like that, I'm embarrassed to even talk about what he's implying."
Erickson said that he has invited Kelly to attend the conference in Trump's place.
In the usual retaliatory Trump fashion, his campaign issued numerous statements insulting Erickson and labeling his decision as "just another example of weakness through being politically correct."
"For all of the people who were looking forward to Mr. Trump coming, we will miss you. Blame Erick Erickson, your weak and pathetic leader," the statement said, reported the Associated Press.
Trump intensified the personal attack against Erickson in a follow-up statement issued Saturday morning.
"Not only is Erick a total loser, he has a history of supporting establishment losers in failed campaigns so it is an honor to be uninvited from his event. Mr. Trump is an outsider and does not fit his agenda," the statement said.
"Many of the 900 people that wanted to hear Mr. Trump speak tonight have been calling and emailing - they are very angry at Erickson and the others that are trying to be so politically correct. To them Mr. Trump says, 'We will catch you at another time soon.'"
Trump's campaign also attempted to clarify his remarks about Kelly, contending that Trump actually meant Kelly had blood coming out of her nose.
"Mr. Trump made Megyn Kelly look really bad - she was a mess with her anger and totally caught off guard," the statement read. "Mr. Trump said 'blood was coming out of her eyes and whatever' meaning nose, but wanted to move on to more important topics. Only a deviant would think anything else."
Immediately following the debate Thursday night, Trump tweeted a few other interesting comments about Kelly, as HNGN previously reported.
