--- title: Donald Trump and Megyn Kelly Spar Over 'Bimbo' Retweet description: In Megyn Kelly's primetime Fox special with Donald Trump, she pressed him hard on the sexist language he and his supporters have used canonical: https://time.com/4339581/donald-trump-megyn-kelly-bimbo-fox-special/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-18T01:02:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:17:17.716Z article:section: Politics og:title: Donald Trump and Megyn Kelly Spar Over 'Bimbo' Retweet og:description: "Megyn, you’ve been called a lot worse. Wouldn’t you say?" og:url: https://time.com/4339581/donald-trump-megyn-kelly-bimbo-fox-special/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ff8c9cbe3413148/698893a4cd1bba154e700b9d/megyn-kelly-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: megyn-kelly-trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Donald Trump and Megyn Kelly Spar Over 'Bimbo' Retweet twitter:description: "Megyn, you’ve been called a lot worse. Wouldn’t you say?" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ff8c9cbe3413148/698893a4cd1bba154e700b9d/megyn-kelly-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Donald Trump and Megyn Kelly Spar Over 'Bimbo' Retweet > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c8881ea3-ae5a-4128-a8d0-4d82126e475c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c8881ea3-ae5a-4128-a8d0-4d82126e475c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=c8881ea3-ae5a-4128-a8d0-4d82126e475c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c8881ea3-ae5a-4128-a8d0-4d82126e475c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump's Art of the Duel [Watch (HLS stream): Trump's Art of the Duel](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mwjW3v8J.m3u8) (2:22)  _Published 2016-01-27. As Donald Trump says he will not participate in Thursday's debate as part of his ongoing feud with Fox News' Megyn Kelly, TIME looks at his strategy in his many long-running disputes._  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson May 18, 2016 1:02 AM UTC  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson May 18, 2016 1:02 AM UTC In [Megyn Kelly](http://time.com/4326784/megyn-kelly-donald-trump-fox-news/?iid=sr-link2)’s prime-time Fox special with Donald Trump on Tuesday night, she pressed him hard on the sexist language he and his supporters have used about her over the past nine months. “You’ve probably had some pretty nasty tweets sent your way … I don’t want that to happen,” Trump said of the aftermath of the [first Republican debate](http://time.com/3988189/republican-debate-fox-first-gop-donald-trump/), when he and Kelly first tangled over his vulgar language toward women. “You retweet some of those,” Kelly replied. “It’s not just the fans.” “Not the more nasty ones. You would be amazed at the ones I don’t retweet,” Trump replied. “Bimbo,” Kelly interjected, referencing the fact that Trump has [retweeted his followers](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/629553612839124992) referring to Kelly by that word. (Trump himself [tweeted](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/692312112115380224) in January, “I refuse to call Megyn Kelly a bimbo, because that would not be politically correct. Instead I will only call her a lightweight reporter!”) After quibbling over how many times Trump has used that word in his tweets and retweets to refer to Kelly, he laughed and half-jokingly said, “Excuse me.” But then the presumptive Republican nominee went back on defense: “Not the most horrible thing,” he said of the word. “Over your life, Megyn, you’ve been called a lot worse. Wouldn’t you say?” ## Transcript You've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals. Jeb Bush. Megyn Kelly. Hilary Clinton. Muslims. Lindsey Graham. Rubio. Rand Baul. John McCain. Rick Perry. I'm not a fan of Megyn Kelly. I don't like her. We have very stupid people in our country negotiating for us. I described Jeb Bush as a low energy individual. He's a war hero because he was captured. Hillary, that's not a president. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] Here, and why don't you apologize for her right now? No, I won't do that because I said nothing wrong. Is there anybody you would like to apologize to right now yourself? [ LAUGH ] No. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Megyn Kelly's really biased against me. She knows that. I know that. Everybody knows that. Do you really think she can be fair at a debate? [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Here's the problem with political correctness. It takes too long. We don't have time. NBC Wall Street Journal just came out with a poll Headline, Trump way up, Cruz going down. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever. I never attacked him on his look, and believe me, there's plenty of subject matter right there. The simple fact is [ CROSSTALK ]. I didn't want to. Excuse me! One second No [ CROSSTALK ] More energy tonight, I like that. No [ BLANK_AUDIO ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4339581/donald-trump-megyn-kelly-bimbo-fox-special/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4339581/donald-trump-megyn-kelly-bimbo-fox-special/"},"headline":"Donald Trump and Megyn Kelly Spar Over 'Bimbo' Retweet","datePublished":"2016-05-18T01:02:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-06T09:17:17.716Z","description":"\"Megyn, you’ve been called a lot worse. Wouldn’t you say?\"","url":"https://time.com/4339581/donald-trump-megyn-kelly-bimbo-fox-special/","keywords":["Donald Trump","2016 Election","Television","Megyn Kelly"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ff8c9cbe3413148/698893a4cd1bba154e700b9d/megyn-kelly-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ff8c9cbe3413148/698893a4cd1bba154e700b9d/megyn-kelly-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"megyn-kelly-trump","caption":"From left: Donald Trump on May 3, 2016 in New York City and Megyn Kelly on Jan. 28, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa.","creditText":"Mary Altaffer, Chris Carlson—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4339581/donald-trump-megyn-kelly-bimbo-fox-special/","name":"Donald Trump and Megyn Kelly Spar Over 'Bimbo' Retweet"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Trump's Art of the Duel","description":"As Donald Trump says he will not participate in Thursday's debate as part of his ongoing feud with Fox News' Megyn Kelly, TIME looks at his strategy in his many long-running disputes.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/mwjW3v8J/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-01-27T14:17:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mwjW3v8J.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4339581/donald-trump-megyn-kelly-bimbo-fox-special/","duration":"PT2M22S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4339581/donald-trump-megyn-kelly-bimbo-fox-special/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```