Megyn Kelly, Karl Rove try to figure out what Donald Trump's team is doing with Mitt Romney

Megyn Kelly said on Tuesday's Kelly File that she just doesn't know what to make of President-elect Donald Trump's advisers squabbling over Mitt Romney, who is meeting for a second time with Trump on Tuesday, presumably over the possibility that Trump will tap him for secretary of state. Did Kellyanne Conway "go rogue" by trying to disqualify Romney on Sunday talk shows, Kelly asked GOP strategist Karl Rove, or did she go after him with Trump's knowledge and at least tacit consent, as The Associated Press reports?

"I don't know which is true, I just think it's unseemly and unconstructive," Rove said. "It makes Donald Trump, whatever the intention, look weak, it makes him look like he's waffling, it makes him look like he is being pressured, and that's not what a president or a president-elect ought to look like." Rove also noted that such infighting and second-guessing is "not conducive to creating the right kind of atmosphere inside the White House," where people can offer their honest opinions without fear of public humiliation.

"The speculation is that perhaps Donald Trump is looking to embarrass Mitt Romney, who was a vicious critic of Trump's during the campaign," Kelly said, "that this is, you know, playing out like an episode of The Apprentice, where he decides who goes forward and who doesn't in the most dramatic fashion." Rove said that Trump using Conway to embarrass Romney was "too Machiavellian" for Trump. "The other option of course is that she's gone rogue, in which case she's not serving her principal well," he said. "He needs to look strong. The world is watching now, they're taking the measure of the man, and this is not something that's going to make him look stronger." Kelly was unconvinced: "That doesn't sound like Kellyanne Conway to go rogue. We'll see." You can watch the exchange below. Peter Weber

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up