Donald Trump's controversial, guns blazing, outspoken ways have cut him a path to the top of the 2016 GOP heap but the brash billionaire hit a speed bump on Monday in the form of Wisconsin talk radio host Charlie Sykes.

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Sykes, who hosts his radio show out of Milwaukee, has been an outspoken supporter of the "#NeverTrump" movement and Ted Cruz supporter. And he welcomed the GOP front-runner on to his radio program Monday morning as Trump begins a blitz through the Cheese State ahead of the state's crucial April 5 primary.

Problem is, Trump, by his own admission, had no idea that Sykes is a Cruz supporter and found himself on the defensive for a cringe-worthy, 17-minute interview with Sykes.

Listen to the whole thing below.

Things got off to a rocky start for Trump right away when Sykes, citing Wisconsin's love of "civility, decency, and actual conservative principles," got on the front-runner right away for his recent attacks and threats regarding Ted Cruz's wife.

Lyin' Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2016

While Trump tried to spin himself out of a straightforward explanation, Sykes did something few interviewers have done during this election cycle with Trump: he tenaciously hung on and pressed Trump on the topic.

As Trump tried to place the blame elsewhere, Sykes kept at it, asking, "If a supporter of another candidate, not the candidate himself, does something despicable, that it’s OK for you, personally, a candidate for president of the United States, to behave in that same way?”

For emphasis, Sykes added, “I expect that from a 12-year-old bully on the playground.”

Trump to @sykescharlie on Heidi Cruz/Melania: "I thought this was actually a dead issue until I just spoke to you.”

Sykes: "Really?" — Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) March 28, 2016

Not that Sykes was done. Picking up on a theme, Sykes played a clip of that now-famous ad of women quoting Trump's misogynistic comments and, with Trump on the defensive and hiding behind his celebrity, asked, calmly, "Are the rules different for celebrities? Are celebrities allowed to insult women?"

Moving on from there, Sykes turned toward home-cooking, calling Trump out on harsh comments he made about Wisconsin's current state of affairs. With Sykes pushing Trump to ask if he stood by his comments, all Trump could muster was a defense of, "I can only say what I took out of Time magazine," again, trying to place blame elsewhere.

I've never seen Trump pushed like this in an interview before https://t.co/HiUIAMKl0o — andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) March 28, 2016

This @SykesCharlie interview with Trump is a lesson in how to respectfully but brutally confront the front runner.https://t.co/01SJH7XAHj — Ben Terris (@bterris) March 28, 2016

The kicker comes toward the end when Trump admits he had no idea that Sykes was such a stringent supporter of the "#NeverTrump" movement — “No, I didn’t know that, but I assume you’re also an intelligent guy. I know you’re an intelligent guy, and you understand what’s going on" — before spinning off on a tangent about NATO.

The entire interview is fascinating, not just because Trump squirms, but because of the way Sykes goes after Trump so relentlessly while keeping a calm, quiet control over the proceedings, not allowing Trump's stream-of-consciousness replies to send the interview careening out of control.



It's no small feat, and one that deserves a mention in this heated election season.

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