NBC host Megyn Kelly said the saga of a woman who flipped off President Donald Trump's motorcade spoke "uniquely to what America's all about" during an interview with her on Thursday.
A photograph of Juli Briskman flipping off Trump's motorcade last month in Virginia as she rode her bicycle went viral, particularly among people frustrated with Trump's administration. However, after she posted it to her social media accounts, she was forced to resign from her job at Akima LLC.
Briskman recounted why she decided to flip off Trump to Kelly, saying it felt "great."
Kelly noted the incident had gotten worldwide coverage.
"To me, it speaks uniquely to what America's all about. You can do that," Kelly said. "That's the beauty of a free society. Whether you love President Trump or hate him, you are allowed to tell the president how you feel about him, whether it's President Obama or President Trump. That's one of our core ideals."
Briskman also appeared on MSNBC on Wednesday to discuss why she gave Trump the finger, calling it a "spur-of-the-moment decision."
"Lots of things were going through my mind about how disappointed I am with this administration," she said. "I didn't really have any other way to express my opinion to Mr. Trump, and so the finger was what I had at the time."
Kelly joined NBC this year after a successful, highly rated run as a Fox News host. Trump memorably feuded with her during the 2016 election; Trump received criticism for suggesting at one point Kelly was bleeding from her "wherever" when she asked a tough debate question.