Megyn Kelly on Debate Criticism: 'I'm a Big Girl, I Can Take It'

Commenting on the firestorm surrounding her tiff with GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, Fox News’ Megyn Kelly made her first comments Sunday in an appearance with Fox "MediaBuzz" host Howard Kurtz.

But the interview, Kurtz noted, was conducted before the controversial ‘blood’ remarks Trump made on CNN Friday night.

Trump is under fire for criticizing Fox anchor Megyn Kelly during and after a Republican debate on Thursday. Asked about Kelly on a CNN interview on Friday, Trump said: "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever."

The fallout came quickly. Trump was barred from an important gathering of conservative activists on Saturday and drew another round of denunciations from fellow Republicans.

Kelly took the high road, refusing to engage in any rebuttal to Trump, though she did ask: "If you can’t get past me, how are you gonna handle Vladimir Putin."

Kelly said her goal during the debate was to "drill down to their most vulnerable areas and then give them a chance to explain them." Why? That’s where issues and vulnerabilities for Republicans will surface during the general election.

"It’s okay, I’m a big girl. I can take it," she said. She also dismissed any so-called ‘gotcha’ questions she was accused of asking.

"I don’t think that my history as a journalist supports bias on my part towards either party," Kelly said. "When I'm ticking off both sides, I’m in my sweet spot."

Material from Reuters was used in this story.