Donald Trump's Iowa campaign co-chairwoman defended comments The Donald made on Friday night that were seemingly about FOX News anchor Megyn Kelly's menstrual cycle.
Tana Goertz, who has known the Republican presidential contender and real-estate mogul since she was on season three of The Apprentice, said in an interview with BuzzFeed News that attacking Kelly was "fair game" and "if you mess with the bull you're going to get the horns, sweetheart."
Trump made the comments in an interview with CNN host Don Lemon when asked, "What is it with you and Megyn Kelly?" Kelly was one of three moderators at Thursday night's Republican presidential debate and had asked Trump about sexist remarks he has made about women in the past.
Trump told CNN the Fox host had "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." Trump tweeted on Saturday morning he was talking about Kelly's nose.
"I was not offended at all," Goertz stated to BuzzFeed News. "I'm not easily offended."
Goertz, who lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband and children, said she had been at an event in her Trump bicycle jersey Saturday and was mobbed by Trump supporters. She said she had people telling her they would never watch Kelly again.
"I have so many people that are so excited about Donald Trump," she stated. "That it hasn't effected our campaign whatsoever."
Asked if his comments aimed at Kelly were warranted, Goertz stated Trump responds to men and women equally and Kelly attacking Trump made her "fair game."
"You know with Mr. Trump, he believes that he responds to men and women with equal intensity so you know Megyn was attacking him at the debate and he just fired back. It's fair game. Isn't that what the women's [liberation] movement is all about? He kind of has that mentality that, you know what, there's no glass ceiling for women. There's no war on women. He responds to them equally. And he looks at it like if you wanna give it to him, he'll give it right back."
Goertz, however added it never occurred to her Trump mind be talking about Kelly's menstrual cycle.
"It was two different situations," she said. "He was just more or less saying she was coming after me. Kind of like when a guy says 'I can see smoke coming out your eyes.' Same analogy. It was an analogy. Here's the deal, I'm a woman, and I have that issue every single month of my life and it never — and I'm a smart women I have a high I.Q., I've been tested, I've been in gifted programs. So, I'm like, not a dummy. I'm an intelligent woman who, you know, has this issue every month. I'm a female, who deals with this every single month. And it never crossed my mind he was talking about her period. It never even registered."
"It's like everybody wants to go talk about something that's so stupid," she said, adding that in the whole scheme of things it was a minor issue that only the media was concerned about.
Goertz said if she could tell Kelly one thing it would be, "if you mess with the bull you're going to get the horns, sweetheart."