Overview
- Over the weekend Kelly told the Hodgetwins Podcast that President Trump had "cheated on every wife he's had" and said Ivana Trump once accused him of rape while noting she could not personally verify that allegation.
- Kelly raised the remarks in response to Mr. Trump’s criticism of former counterterrorism chief Joe Kent for remarrying after his wife Shannon’s 2019 death, a feud tied to Kent’s March resignation over the war with Iran.
- Conservative and MAGA-aligned voices on social platforms reacted swiftly with denunciations and personal attacks, reflecting a sharp partisan backlash against Kelly’s comments.
- News coverage stresses that the Ivana claim stems from a 1990 divorce deposition that Ivana later walked back and dismissed publicly in 2015, that Mr. Trump has denied the allegation, and that no new evidence was produced by Kelly.
- The episode marks a further rupture between Kelly and the president after her February split over U.S. strikes on Iran, a shift that could deepen fissures in pro-Trump media circles and affect how commentators frame his personal conduct going forward.