Conservative activist Erick Erickson, organizer of RedState Gathering, says mogul went ‘too far’ in discussing Fox News moderator’s tough questioning
Donald Trump has been officially banned from one of the biggest gatherings of conservative activists after implying he received hostile questioning during the first Republican presidential debate because the television moderator was menstruating.
Trump was uninvited from the RedState Gathering late on Friday after saying in a CNN interview that Fox News’s Megyn Kelly “had blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever”, while questioning him during Thursday night’s debate.
The real estate mogul had been scheduled to appear at a special tailgate at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta at the close of RedState Gathering on Saturday night.
Erick Erickson, the organizer of the event and a major conservative activist tweeted late on Friday night, “I have rescinded my invitation to Mr.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.”
In a follow-up blog post, Erickson amplified why he was disinviting Trump: “there are even lines blunt talkers and unprofessional politicians should not cross,” he wrote. “Decency is one of those lines.”
On Saturday morning, Trump used Twitter to attempt a clarification of his remark. He tweeted: “Re Megyn Kelly quote: ‘you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever’ (NOSE). Just got on w/thought”.
The falling-out marked the first major break with Trump from a key figure in the mainstream conservative movement. Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak told