CLEVELAND, Ohio – Fox News’ Megyn Kelly — who has been praised by The New York Times for being a fair and tough journalist —  went after GOP frontrunner Donald Trump in the beginning of the primetime GOP presidential primary debate on Thursday. However, when the news anchor questioned the real estate mogul, she legitimized the “war on women” mantra used by the Democratic Party to attack Republicans.

Kelly asked, “Mr. Trump, one of the things people love about you is you speak your mind and you don’t use a politician’s filter. However, that is not without its downsides. In particular when it comes to women, you’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals…”

Trump jokingly interrupted, “Only Rosie O’Donnell.”

Kelly, instead of moving on with her question, decided to take a dig in, “No, it wasn’t.”

She tried to continue asking the question, but the crowd was applauding in appreciation of Trump’s joke.

Kelly again attempted a jab at Trump, “For the record, it was well beyond Rosie O’Donnell.”

Trump responded, “I’m sure it was.”

Kelly continued, “Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women’s looks. You once told a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice that it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president and how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton who is likely to be the Democratic nominee that you are part of the war on women?”

Kelly’s decision to omit “so called” prior to “war on women” is critical, as it suggests she legitimized the Democrat Party’s mantra, which it has been using for years against Republican challengers.

Kelly, when discussing the Democrat’s alleged war on women argument in the past, has called it a “so called war on women” often mocking the Democrat Party’s argument.

For example, in 2014, Kelly – when discussing Democrat Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) – ridiculed the war on women argument in an exchange with Fox News’ Dana Perino.

“How about Dana – Colorado and Senator Udall – I almost said uterus … that war on women narrative was used very effectively by the Democrats. I remember going to the Democratic National Convention last time around and they made their entire convention about the war on women – the so called war on women … and birth control and so on and so forth,” Kelly mocked.