Radio show host Hugh Hewitt said Tuesday that he doesn't mind Donald Trump calling him names after he interviewed him last week, and that in fact, he enjoys interviewing the GOP frontrunner.
"I'm happy to be called by any of the candidates whatever they think," Hewitt told
CNN's "New Day" program. "I think Donald Trump is entitled to his criticism of my interviews."
Story continues below video.
Last week,
Trump slammed Hewitt, who will be one of the moderators at the Sept. 16 GOP debates, as a "third-rate radio announcer," a day after he had difficulty answering what he called Hewitt's "gotcha" questions about leaders of major terrorist groups.
The conservative radio show host told CNN Tuesday that he's done at least 30 similar candidates with GOP candidates, and if Trump doesn't like how his interview went, he's with that, but he's been asking all the candidates the same questions.
But meanwhile, he doesn't expect any of the candidates to fade away yet, and he expects that during the Sept. 16 debate, sparks will fly between the candidates, not the candidates and panelists.
Hewitt insisted Tuesday that he has interviewed Trump six times and loves him as "the best interview in America."
However, Trump talked to him by phone, and there is a problem really hearing on the phone, and Hewitt said he really does think that Trump's error in hearing Quds as Kurds was a simple error.
"He will get up to speed on various issues as we get closer," said Hewitt, and he's glad that Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are planning a huge push on Wednesday against the Iran deal.
"Republicans are unanimous in their opposition to this deal," said Hewitt. "They are [also] unanimous in the fact that Hillary Clinton abused her server. They are better at some issues. Donald Trump is good on the wall. Carly Fiorina is good on intelligence matters. Our job, or at least my job at the debate is to ask questions that allow Republican primary voters to decide who is in the best position to win in 2016 and to be a very successful Reagan-like commander in chief in 2016."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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