Megyn Kelly's bombshell claims about Donald Trump's marriage history and the resurfaced allegation from his first wife landed like a grenade across social media over the holiday weekend, drawing furious responses from Trump loyalists, conservative critics, and longtime Kelly skeptics alike.
Kelly made the claims on Friday's episode of the Hodgetwins Podcast, saying flatly that "Trump has cheated on every wife he's had" and resurfacing a rape allegation made by his first wife Ivana Trump during their 1990 divorce proceedings — an allegation Ivana later retracted, saying she did not want her words taken "in a literal or criminal sense." Kelly added that she could not personally confirm the accusation, but said of Trump's current marriage to Melania: "If you think Trump's been faithful to Melania, that's great. You've got bigger issues than I can solve here."
The reactions came quickly.
The sharpest attack came from far-right activist Laura Loomer, who wasted no time going for the jugular. "Megyn Kelly has always been an opportunistic snake," Loomer wrote. "It was a big mistake for Trump's campaign staff to allow that h----- on stage at his rallies."
Another pointed criticism came from a different direction entirely. Conservative commentator Jonah Goldberg, a prominent Never Trumper and co-founder of The Dispatch, argued that Kelly's newfound candor was too little, too late. "I love how MAGA apologists who ignored or even celebrated Trump's character flaws now suddenly discover them and pretend to be brave truth tellers," Goldberg wrote. "When it would have cost them, they happily promoted the cult. Now they're like 'oh my God it's a cult! Why can't you see it?!'"
RedState writer Bonchie made a related but distinct point. "Seeing Megyn, who spent the last several years proclaiming herself some kind of MAGA queen, now pushing 2016 talking points is hilarious," he wrote. "I mean, if this was an issue for you, why wasn't it an issue a year ago?"
It was a question others were asking too. Journalist Eric Michael Garcia noted the obvious tension in Kelly's timing. "Again, Megyn Kelly knew all of this before she endorsed him in 2024 and still endorsed him," he wrote.
Journalist and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan responded with a string of clapping emojis, letting the situation speak for itself.
Actor Henry Winkler, best known for playing Fonzie on Happy Days, offered perhaps the most economical reaction of all: "Wow."
