Megyn Kelly in Lombard advises Trump: 'Try to take the high road'
The Fox News anchor who clashed with Donald Trump during the election acknowledges the president-elect doesn't need her advice.
But if Trump asked, Megyn Kelly says she would suggest he "try to rise above it and to try to take the high road."
Kelly was in Lombard Monday to promote her new book, "Settle For More."
She headlined a private charity event hosted by Daniel L. Goodwin, chairman and CEO for the Inland Real Estate Group.
The highlight of Goodwin's Holiday Party came when Indiana Gov.-elect Eric Holcomb interviewed Kelly in front of more than 500 people. During the conversation, she was asked what advice she would give the next president.
Kelly said she wants Trump to be the "magnanimous" person he was on Election Night and "not the more thin-skinned, petty Trump that we see sometimes on Twitter."
"He really can be very charming," she said. "And if he wants to charm you, you're going to be charmed."
But, she said, Trump seems determined to respond to "almost every slight."
"And he perceives a slight often when none exists," Kelly said.
"And you can't have that in a president, because they get attacked a lot."
Trump took issue with Kelly when she asked him tough questions during the first Republican debate. In one of her questions, Kelly asked about comments he had made about women.
For months, the feud escalated over Twitter. The two appeared to call a truce when Kelly had an interview with Trump that aired in May.
She said it was "surreal" to find herself pulled into the presidential race.
But, she said, adversity can be an opportunity. "I actually believe the only way you can really grow as a human ... is to be challenged," she said.
She said there hasn't been a more fascinating election in her lifetime, "and there's never been a more fascinating candidate than our President-elect Donald Trump."
One of the positive aspects of Trump's election, she said, is that millions of Americans felt heard for the first time in a generation. Those people learned they could bypass party elites and members of the media "who did not want their guy."
"I think it's good that those millions of Americans feel heard," Kelly said. "Hopefully, it will empower them in future elections to understand that their vote does matter."
But she said she believes Trump, in some ways, "has set a dangerous precedent."
"To delegitimize all the media has real implications that, as a journalist, I think are dangerous," Kelly said.
She also said Trump made statements during the campaign that were untrue but were accepted by his supporters because they liked him.
"I hope that doesn't set a precedent for other politicians," said Kelly, adding that it's important to have "a relationship with the truth."
Roughly 140 elected officials were on hand to hear her speak, including Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti, U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin and DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin. Others in the crowd included business leaders, professionals and civic leaders.
Before Kelly took the stage, Goodwin explained why he hosts the annual event, which helped raise money for the New Directions Affordable Housing Corporation.
"This is an opportunity for us to do something for the holidays," Goodwin told the crowd.
"The reason all of you have been invited here is because you have something special about you. You make a difference in the world."