Republicans Back Donald Trump Over Megyn Kelly

When Donald Trump took on Fox News host Megyn Kelly after the Republican debate many wondered whether, after surviving a controversy from attacking John McCain, the pugnacious businessman had finally picked a fight with the wrong person -- or the wrong television network. "Republican leaders who have watched Donald Trump’s summer surge with alarm now believe that his presidential candidacy has been contained and may begin to collapse because of his repeated attacks on a Fox News Channel star," The Washington Post reported. In a story headlined "Donald Trump Won’t Win A War Against Fox News," FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver noted that Fox, unlike other outlets, is trusted by the vast majority of Republicans.

But while Trump's rise in the polls seems to have at least temporarily stalled, a new HuffPost/YouGov survey shows GOP debate-watchers mostly sided with Trump over Kelly. Fifty percent of Republicans or Republican leaners who watched at least part of the debate said they agreed with his criticism of Kelly's moderation, while just 30 percent agreed with Kelly. The rest didn't support either or said they were unsure. That backing for Trump aligns with Fox News' decision to continue to book him and the network's muted defense of Kelly, who has reportedly received death threats from Trump's supporters. While both Trump and Kelly have refused to apologize, the parties involved seem to have reached a fragile detente. The conflict, however, has created some cognitive dissonance for Republicans not used to seeing a GOP candidate pitted against a Fox journalist.