Watch Megyn Kelly battle a Trump spokesperson about birtherism in this extraordinarily tense interview

(Image credit: Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Fortune/Time Inc)

Megyn Kelly wasn't about to let Donald Trump's spokeswoman Katrina Pierson evade questions about birtherism during a Thursday night interview on The Kelly File. "Why for the love of God won't he just say that Barack Obama was born in the United States?" Kelly asked Pierson.

Pierson initially tried to answer the question by claiming Trump is not "some robotic politician" who will allow the media to "determine what he talks about and when," which is why he's dodged talking about his campaign's announcement that he now believes Obama was born in the U.S. "Barack Obama is not on the ballot, and not even relevant to this election cycle," Pierson said.

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Pierson responded by pointing out Trump is "pushing on 30 percent African-American support" in a South Carolina poll, prompting Kelly to push back once again. "That's a dodge," Kelly said.

Watch the entirety of the heated discussion, below. Becca Stanek

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