← The Megyn Kelly Show
The Megyn Kelly Show
Biden Mumbles Through Farewell Speech, and Jill's Mean Girl Exit, with Ana Kasparian, Kevin Madden, Amala Ekpunobi, and Link Lauren | Ep. 984
01:39:25
Megyn Kelly is joined by political commentators Ana Kasparian and Kevin Madden to discuss Joe Biden mumbling his way through a quick and dark farewell address, his bizarre and hypocritical attacks on billionaires and oligarchs, his cheerleading for tech censorship, Mark Zuckerberg’s sudden embrace of “free speech" as he shifts toward a MAGA-friendly approach, the death of Facebook’s news feed, the cultural shift on display in Zuckerberg's interview public discourse since Trump’s rise, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi’s cool confidence while being grilled by Senate Dems, rude male Democratic senators, the hysterical response from some female Democratic senators, Jill Biden’s cringe Washington Post puff piece interview, her power hungry ambitions, her "mean girl" act attacking Nancy Pelosi, and more. Then commentators Amala Ekpunobi and Link Lauren join to discuss the left meltdown over Carrie Underwood’s decision to perform at Trump’s inauguration, the ladies of The View mad about...
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- [00:01]
Megyn Kelly
Welcome to the Megyn Kelly show live on Sirius XM channel 111, every weekday at noon East. Hey, everyone, I'm Megyn Kelly. Welcome to the Megyn Kelly Show. More of President elect Donald Trump's top cabinet nominees are on Capitol Hill today after Attorney general nominee Pam Bondi's dominating performance yesterday. She crushed it. We will bring you more of those highlights. They really are highlights. It's like these nominees are changing the game on how this whole thing is done. There's no genuflecting, there's no kissing of the ring. These Democrat senators, they don't need their votes. They don't go in there trying to be rude or looking for a fight. But if you're going to treat them like shit, which is clearly what's happening, they're going to fight back. They're going to stand their ground and I am loving it. It comes as President Joe Biden bid farewell to the White House finally and his 50 year political career from the Oval Office by talking about his huge accom. No, by mumbling about Elon Musk. 50 years in office and it comes down to Elon Musk. But don't worry, part two is tonight where he sits down with the venerable Lawrence O'Donnell who I think might go from two viewers to four as he does, I guess an exit interview, but he won't do a final press conference as virtually every president has done before him in modern history. And Karine Jean Pierre, you'll be shocked to learn, had absolutely no reasons for why, just a bunch of mumbling muck produced by her on why he won't actually answer to the rest of us. Why? Why won't he speak to us and our representatives, which, like it or not, are the American media. Joining me now on those stories and more, two first time guests on the show. Well, are they? I know Anna is. Anna Kasparian is a host and producer of the Young Turks who's been making headlines for calling out her own side recently. And Kevin Madden, I guess Kevin, it's your first on this program, but you've been on my shows many times. He's a Republican strategist and senior partner at the Penta Group. Here's a shocking truth about New Year's resolutions. Whether you want to lose weight, improve your energy or beat that embarrassing post meal bul bloat, nothing works if your gut is not healthy first. That's why for 2025, I want to introduce you to Just Thrive Probiotic. Most probiotics die in your harsh stomach acid before they can do much good. Just Thrive Probiotic is the only probiotic clinically proven to arrive in your gut 100% alive. That means better digestion, healthy immunity, great energy, easy weight management. All sounds so good. It comes in capsule form or berry flavored gummies. So there's an option for everyone in the fam. Plus it's backed by an industry leading 100 money back guarantee. Love the way you feel or get a full product refund, no questions asked. Ready to transform your health in 2025? Visit justthrivehealth.com and use code Megan to get 20% off your first 90 day bottle. That's like getting a month for free. That's just thrive. Thrive Health.com promo code Megan. Here's to your best health with Just Thrive. Guys, welcome to the show. Great to have you both.
- [03:20]
Anna Kasparian
Thank you. Good to be here.
- [03:21]
Kevin Madden
Yeah. Great to be with you.
- [03:22]
Megyn Kelly
Yeah. I mean, Kevin, my God, we go way back, but I guess it's the first time on this particular platform. So great to see you again. And Anna, I've been watching your evolution and you're sort of speaking out about your ideas with great interest. It's been, it's been very interesting. I feel like in some ways I experienced something similar myself where I was certainly more, I think, on the left 10 years ago than I am now. For sure. I would never have described myself as a liberal past like college, but I see what you're going through and I think a lot of people can relate to where it's like you just get so aggravated with shit breaking down that you believed in, you feel like you have no choice but to just start calling it out. So I guess that's, that's a fine place to start. Do you want to explain to the audience who hasn't seen you on like Glenn Beck or elsewhere kind of where you are, because most people know you as part of the Young Turks, which is a, you know, a left, a left leaning podcast is very successful, but it's certainly not center or center right.
- [04:24]
Anna Kasparian
Yes. So it is true. It's a left wing show and I still consider myself for the most part on the left. But, you know, there's been this growing culture among the Democratic Party in particular where there seems to be a lack of self reflection, maybe even, you know, kind of taking note or inventory of some of the policies that we've been championing or supporting, endorsing. Once some of those policies are implemented, there might be flaws, there might be some issues that policymakers didn't see coming into It. But once you see some of the negative ramifications of these policies, I mean, I used to be under the assumption, and this was, I guess, a terrible assumption to have because it's not true that there would be a recalibration of some of these policies in order to actually serve the best interests of the American people. But what I've noticed certainly on a local level, is that there's absolutely no self reflection, no recalibration of said policies. And on a national level, there seems to be more interest in serving the egos and the narcissism of Democratic leadership. And so the COVID up involving Joe Biden's mental decline really bothered me. The fact that he was pushed out of running for reelection and then Kamala Harris was anointed really bothered me, especially when the whole centerpiece of the Democratic campaign was protecting democracy. Well, Democratic voters didn't get a say in who their Democratic nominee would be. So there are all sorts of issues. And it doesn't mean that I've completely changed my political identity. If anything, I'm holding true to my political identity. And I feel that the Democrats do a lot of projection. They like to point fingers at the right for engaging in all sorts of nefarious behavior, but then they themselves engage in the same nefarious behavior. After Biden lost the election, you know, on Pod Save America, you hear I'm sorry, after Harris lost the election, on Pod Save America, you have members of her campaign talking about what they've learned following the Democrats loss. And what really bothered me is one of the things that they believe they did wrong was they didn't break campaign finance laws enough by having the campaign coordinate with the super pacs. That's against the law. They accused Trump of doing that without providing any evidence. And then they said we need to stop listening to our lawyers and we need to do a little more of what the Trump campaign did. I'm paraphrasing, but that was essentially the message that goes against my values and principles.
- [07:03]
Megyn Kelly
So interesting. I mean, I just feel like we've heard so much of that kind of messaging, especially from the left in the either. The right had its big breakup when Trump was elected in 16, you know, and it, it was fierce and it was ugly. And now there's been a resettling, I think as he's come into office, coming into office for the second time. And the left is having a lot of defectors, it seems to me, as of late. Maybe it's because they're looking at things a new way. Maybe it's because some of them are excited about this very interesting Trump coalition, you know, or maybe some, like the Biden thing, I think really did hurt on the left more than people realize. Like the lies people knew. You can't look at him and tell me this is the best Joe Biden ever and then asked me to continue believing you. Um, okay, but let's, well, let's start with Biden because he's in the news after his big farewell address last night. Kevin John Podoritz, who hosts a podcast in Commentary magazine and runs Commentary magazine and used to be a presidential speech speechwriter for Reagan and beyond, said it's the worst presidential address he's ever heard in his life. He said it was not. It was the number one least effective, most painful speech he's ever heard. He said the first half, in his view, was written by AI and the second was written by somebody who did policy back in 1975 who must be on the Biden staff. But he was completely underwhelmed. What did you think?
- [08:21]
Kevin Madden
I agree 100%. It seemed like it was like mailed in by not only Biden, but the speechwriting staff of the White House. They're probably thinking, okay, we've got another week to go. Let's just see what we can do and just, let's give this to the boss and let it rip and then move on, find our next job. Also a bit of a microcosm of the Biden presidency in that sense, in that I'm sure it was well intentioned and they came in with lofty goals for it, but it quickly descended into incoherence. And then that was matched with a lot of the hypocrisy, just the idea of delivering this message about how America is being controlled by this wealthy oligarchy one week after you just hung a medal around George Soros neck in the White House. It's a bit rich. And I think as a staffer, one of the things I said to myself immediately upon hearing that was like, who thought that was a good idea to push that given the optics and the pageantry of the last week? Yeah.
- [09:33]
Megyn Kelly
Who didn't see the vulnerability?
- [09:35]
Kevin Madden
Right. Nobody thought that that would not, like, go over well and that we'd be called on for the hypocrisy of it. And then I Let me play.
- [09:43]
Megyn Kelly
The audience can hear it. Hold your second thought. Here it is. Sat 9. I have no doubt that America's in a position to continue to succeed. That's why my farewell address tonight. I want to warn the country of Some things that give me great concern. This is a dangerous country and that's the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra wealthy people.
- [10:06]
Kevin Madden
The dangerous consequences if their abuse of.
- [10:10]
Megyn Kelly
Power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair.
- [10:25]
Kevin Madden
Shot for everyone to get ahead.
- [10:29]
Megyn Kelly
Keep going, Kevin.
- [10:31]
Kevin Madden
So, you know, here we are where, you know, that they just spent an election where they tried to frame everything as this pivot point for American democracy. And every single public poll shows that people were more worried about the Biden administration and its threat to democracy. So it just not only did it, is it, I think it's, there's a false sense of alarmism that they're trying to continue to push, but it's just the hypocrisy of the message and how that message continues to land very poorly with the public. It continues to boggle my mind why they continue to push that. And then I think the last thing.
- [11:07]
Megyn Kelly
Is, oh, yeah, sorry, go ahead.
- [11:08]
Kevin Madden
Yeah, there's a whole bunch of empty platitudes like Joe Biden's sort of go to move is to always say, and there's nothing America can't achieve if we put our minds to it. Five minutes after he just listed all of the things that are sort of dangerous and destructive about what the other half of the country believes and has essentially taken to an electorate and won on. So I just, and like, the last thing I'd say is like, it was 15 minutes long. Most of the people that I talked to about it, when I asked, their reaction said they didn't even get their way through it. That's a 15 minute speech that people couldn't sit through. And it harkens back to the Capitol. I'm sorry, The State of the Union speech, which the Biden administration had swore was going to be this big energizing jolt to the American electorate to reframe the 2020 race. And all of the reviews of that State of the Union, they all said that that was going to be a game changer for their campaign. 48 hours later from the State of the Union, just like this, instantly forgettable. It's almost like, it's like, I always call it like cotton candy messaging. Like it melts on contact. No one's even going to remember it 48 hours from now.
- [12:19]
Megyn Kelly
Well, I mean, your hips remember the cotton candy. So there's that distinction. Here's one of the things, the galling Things Kevin mentions George Soros. There's a very long list of billionaires on both sides that make donations, but it's two to one, Dems to Republicans. The Democrats definitely outweigh the Republicans when it comes to billionaire donors, to the point where you may remember this moment, too. During the Kamala Harris campaign, she went on with Stephen Colbert, and they had this moment. There are quite a few billionaires who support you. You are from Northern California, after all, where they grow them in fields out there. Who's your favorite billionaire? Because we all have a favorite billionaire on three. One, two, three. Oprah.
- [13:01]
Kevin Madden
I'm sorry.
- [13:04]
Megyn Kelly
I claimed Oprah. You can't take her now. So, I mean, like, we all know this. So what is it? Why is Biden do it? Is it. It's just if you're a tech billionaire and suddenly you're part of this oligopoly that's trying to rule America with a tech iron fist.
- [13:22]
Anna Kasparian
I mean, honestly, I agree with the message that Biden was trying to put out there in this speech, which I also agree. I had a difficult time getting through it. It was kind of boring for me. So I got through maybe 25%, tried to watch it multiple times, could not get through it. But in regard to the message that he's trying to put out there in regard to corporate rule in America and money in politics in America, that is an accurate message. But you both make a great point about how money in politics has corrupted both political parties. And for the Democrats to pretend as though they're totally innocent of this is ridiculous to me, considering what we experienced in the last election cycle. I mean, Kamala Harris raised far more money than the Trump campaign did. And in fact, she raised far more dark money than the Trump campaign did. And then she moved forward in essentially squandering all of that money. And I think this past election really shows the kind of grift that exists within our election cycles, because that money gets spent with all these consultants and all these various, you know, PR groups and the amount of money they charge for their services, which have proven to be a failure in this past election cycle for the Democrats, is absolutely outrageous. And so I feel like our elections have become more about, you know, a business for various.
- [14:50]
Megyn Kelly
Let me ask you, what do you think he's talking about there? Do you. Do you think he's talking about money in politics, or do you think he's talking about Elon Musk? Like, I'm angry that Elon is the world's richest man and has joined bff. Style with the sitting president. And, and also Zuckerberg has bent the knee and Bezos has bent the knee. And therefore I see this as an, as an emerging oligarchy. Like I, I feel like he was a complaint about Elon Musk and his outsized role in politics.
- [15:19]
Kevin Madden
That's how I read it too.
- [15:21]
Anna Kasparian
Yeah, yeah, go ahead.
- [15:22]
Kevin Madden
I was going to say, Anna, I read it as a sort of veiled criticism of the big three, so to speak. And the interesting thing on that again is the hypocrisy is so apparent just because all three, Matt Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg have a history of having supported Democrats and have a history of supporting left leaning causes previously. And so it was fine then, but now, yeah, now it's not. Now it's a huge threat. And I think there is a very, to your point, there is a very worthy substantive debate that we can have about this in the country. But if you're not going to be honest about it and why all of a sudden you believe it's a threat, then I think you actually broadly lose the American public's, the ability to persuade them and the ability to raise it as a priority for them.
- [16:16]
Megyn Kelly
So, like that, let me just turn on this, Kevin. So this is, this is why one of the reasons why I think he complained, yes, he doesn't like Elon, he doesn't like all that money and of course Elon's using it. I mean he's, he bought X, which has changed the national conversation, then Twitter. He's threatening to primary people who are trying to stop or threatening to stop Trump's agenda. So he's definitely a thorn in the Democrats side, but no more so than George Soros who's funded every left wing initiative that we've seen for the past decade plus. However, he goes on to talk about one of his other complaints, his big complaints about, you know, what he's worried about in America. And it kind of is revealing about one of the things he hates about these tech so called oligarchs. In Sat 10, President Eisenhower spoke of the dangers of the military industrial complex. He warned us then about, and I.
- [17:04]
Kevin Madden
Quote, the potential for the disastrous rise.
- [17:08]
Megyn Kelly
Of mismatch place power, end of quote. Six days, six decades later, I'm equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech industrial complex that could pose real dangers for our country as well. Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation enabled in the abuse of power. The free press is crumbling, editors are disappearing, social media is giving up on fact checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit. Okay, just for those of you playing at home, that was editors are disappearing. Errors is disappearing. We it was editors, I guess he'd say. So he's lamenting, in essence, the Facebook change in policy, the meta change in policy, Kevin saying we're not going to be doing fact checking anymore. Elon Musk leaves up to community notes. Zuckerberg is going to be doing that as well. Something akin to that he has said. And he as the man behind the pressure campaign to get them to do what he wanted during COVID and around his son's laptop is I think, feeling genuine sadness that they're no longer going to listen.
- [18:22]
Kevin Madden
I think that's right. First, I mean, just a for a scene Setter I believe that since technology and the technology industry is one of our greatest, strongest exports around the globe, that it's important for business leaders to have a voice in public policy. For them to have interactions with policymakers, that's a really good, smart, important thing. And so that's the thing that's missing from the context, I think, of his criticism is exactly what you mentioned, Megan, is that there was undue pressure put on a lot of these leaders when it was about Hunter's laptop and some of the information that was involved there and how that shaped the outcome of the election. So that's one of the things that I think has been lost on the Biden administration is again, they don't have an accurate reflection on just how hypocritical so much of their criticism, how much of their criticism is really coming off with the ball.
- [19:24]
Megyn Kelly
There's no come to Jesus, Anna. It's like Zuckerberg goes on with Rogan a week ago talking about the bullies in the White House who tried to make them censor people's discussions, in particular during COVID around vaccine side effects, which are real. It's a real issue. Not everybody on earth suffered them. But a significant enough portion, especially teenage boys, that it was absolutely criminal not to let this discussion flow freely and doctors speak freely about it. And here's Zuckerberg talking about the Biden administration and vaccine side effects in SAP14 on Rogan.
- [20:01]
Karine Jean-Pierre
They pushed us super hard to take.
- [20:04]
Kevin Madden
Down things that were honestly were true. Right.
- [20:07]
Megyn Kelly
I mean, they basically pushed us and.
- [20:09]
Kevin Madden
Said, you know, anything that says that.
- [20:14]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Vaccines might have side effects you basically need to take down.
- [20:20]
Megyn Kelly
That's crazy. And now he has the nerve to get up there and say we're going in a dark Period where misinformation is gonna run wild.
- [20:28]
Anna Kasparian
Yeah, sorry about that.
- [20:30]
Megyn Kelly
Yeah, go ahead.
- [20:31]
Anna Kasparian
I just wanted to say, I think that the Democrats really leaning into campaigning on fear is a bad idea, because people are sick of it. They're fatigued by it. I don't think most people are buying it at this point. And voters are looking at their own households, their own personal finances, and they want representation that improves their lives. And just constantly voting for someone because he's not Donald Trump or she's not Donald Trump is not really an inspiring message. So I just. I really hope by the dark brand thing. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And look, the other thing I'll say is I actually think that one of the things that Musk did with X, and I will admit I was very skeptical going into it, but Community Notes ended up being fantastic. And in fact, the. The era of, you know, censorship on social media really did lead to platforms like Facebook, for instance, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. So Facebook as a platform was great for independent news sources in order to get their message out, get their content out. And then because of the censorious era, Facebook deprioritized news entirely. And I thought that that was a terrible way of responding to what was going on. I think the best way to fight misinformation is through more speech. And the way that it's been implemented on X is excellent. I think Community Notes is fantastic. So that's what Facebook wants to do. I think that's the right way to go about it.
- [22:06]
Megyn Kelly
Can I just ask you guys about Zuckerberg for a minute? Because we haven't gotten to this, his appearance on Rogan yet on this show. And I do wonder, like, okay, it's a new administration. Trump's in power. I get it. Like, he wants to be cozying up to the President, who's in power. That makes sense to me for some of this turnaround that he's purporting to have made. But for me, like, Facebook is very dated. You know, Facebook is not the cool, hip app that young people are turning to at all. You know, when I first started at Fox 20 years ago, Rupert had just bought MySpace. And there was a question back then, which one will prevail? MySpace or Facebook? And I mean, then Facebook had its apex, and it's long past that now. Right now, it's something older people use to share photos and updates on their lives, but the younger people are on Snap and they're on TikTok, and they're to some extent on Insta, but it's not really Facebook. And I realize Meta also owns Insta, but my point is like, how much do you think Zuckerberg is worried that his photo sharing, family update, piece of piece of his platform is quickly becoming obsolete? And the one thing that was making him good money and that was doing really well, he killed which was the news feed. He killed it for the reasons you just outlayed Anna. And now he's looking at the saying, holy shit, I had a viable business model. It was with conservatives. They were the ones who were dominating his platform when it came to news sharing. Not entirely, but they were dominating. And if I am smart, I will go back to them on bended knee and say, I'm sorry I censored you. I got rid of news and I'm sorry I spent $425 million to elect Joe Biden. Kevin, thoughts?
- [23:54]
Kevin Madden
Well, first of all, I still think back. You're right. I mean, Facebook is kind of for the olds like me. I still think back to when I first joined Facebook. It was somewhere 2007 or 2008 when I was working on the Romney campaign. And that was a key part of our sort of emerging e campaign was to be on social media. And I signed up for it, never went back until it got our, our Facebook pages and some of our other social media pages had gotten hacked. And so I had to go and go into my page to look at it to see what the, what the hacking issue was for the Romney campaign, Facebook. And then I found there's like 20 or 30 people that I went to grammar school with that were looking for me. So it was an education then. But if we, if we fast forward from those people now, now I talk to them like once a week. It's crazy, but it is the thing, the thing that's I think is, is changing is that we are in this, I think technology and workforce around technology, the tax policy, trade policy around our technology in the next five years and the, even the information system around technology is going to change in the next five years. That's really going to affect the economy of the next 25 years. And Mark Zuckerberg and Meta want to be a part of that conversation. And that is why I think he is engaging this administration. And it's smart. It would be as a CEO, it would be an abdication of his responsibilities and duties as a CEO if he wasn't doing it with this administration and Meta, the company that is now where the future for Meta and its product and its approach is going to be. The Metaverse and a lot of that technology and a lot of the laws and the regulations related to AI and automation, all that is going to be written and it's going to be worked out over the next five years. So he needs to be at the table on that. So I think it's important for him. I think it's important. Right. I think it's important for him and other leaders to make sure that they are engaged in his policymakers. The thing I thought was most important in his remarks on Joe Rogan and remember, this is a three hour conversation that really got atomized down to a couple of soundbites. But one of the key soundbites was that we were at a cultural tipping point when it came to our politics and how we discuss our politics. And Trump has changed that. That's the one thing. As somebody who more of a classical liberal and a small C conservative Republican in the Mitt Romney mold, I've become a political anthropologist of sorts since 2016 too, which is Trump is dramat dramatically changed the profile of the party. He's dramatically changed how we campaign, how we talk about issues, how we persuade public, how we build public coalitions. And I think Zuckerberg sees a lot of that as a social sort of anthropologist on this stuff. And he's interested in learning more and he's interested in engaging rather than you cannot as a CEO or any business leader or any organizational leader, you cannot sit on the curb and clap as the parade goes by. You have to be a part of it. I think that was the main takeaway I got from that interview with Joe Rogan.
- [27:07]
Megyn Kelly
We have a little bit of that. Let's take a listen.
- [27:10]
Karine Jean-Pierre
This is a very big sea change in terms of who are the voices that matter. And what we do is we try.
- [27:17]
Kevin Madden
To build a platform that gives people a voice.
- [27:19]
Karine Jean-Pierre
But I think that there's this wholesale generational shift in who are the people who are being listened to. And I think that that's very fascinating thing that is going on because I think that that's like what is what's going on here.
- [27:32]
Kevin Madden
It's not, it's, it's not just the.
- [27:34]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Government and people saying, hey, we want like a very big change here. I think it's just like a wholesale shift in saying we just want different people who we actually trust, right. Who, who are actually going to like tell us the truth and like, and not give us like the bullshit opinions that you're supposed to say. But like the type of stuff that I would actually like when I'm Sitting with my. In my living room with my friends. Like, the stuff that we know is true.
- [27:58]
Kevin Madden
Like, who are the people who kind.
- [27:59]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Of have the courage to actually just say that stuff?
- [28:03]
Megyn Kelly
I don't know.
- [28:03]
Karine Jean-Pierre
I think that whole, like, cultural elite class needs to get repopulated with people who.
- [28:07]
Kevin Madden
People actually trust.
- [28:09]
Megyn Kelly
I. I've got to say, I have nothing against Mark Zuckerberg, but it's. It's somewhat galling to listen to him. Hello. There are many of us in the country who have been saying that for decades now, and you've been stifling us. You know, I mean, especially conservatives. His platform has been stifling conservative speech from the. I'm sure the very people he's referencing there as these breaths of fresh air. Oh, well, if only we could have heard from them earlier. Why didn't we? I have some thoughts, Mark. What do you make of it?
- [28:41]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Yeah, but my.
- [28:42]
Kevin Madden
My quick thought on. My quick thought on that, though, is declare victory. Do not criticize it. Like, when you've won too late and you pers.
- [28:49]
Megyn Kelly
No, you're saying, be classy. That ship is sail.
- [28:51]
Kevin Madden
No, it's not necessarily be classy. It's be like. It's like he, you know, like, you engaged the audience, you made your case publicly, and now you've won. And I don't think it's time to sort of, like, you know, beat your chest on it, but it's like, take this as the opportunity for exactly what.
- [29:07]
Megyn Kelly
It is, which is fine. No, I get what you're saying. He's welcome aboard the free speech train, but I hold him if I want to spend a few minutes. You know, I don't want to say rubbing his nose in it, but, like, hello, he was wrong. He was 100% wrong in what he did, and it was un American. It was really un American. What he and the Biden administration were doing on the stifling of speech. And I would have liked Anna to have heard more of a mea culpa. I was really wrong, and I'm really sorry, and I was 100% hashtag part of the problem before we get to the healing phase.
- [29:45]
Anna Kasparian
Yeah, well, look, I find what he said there entirely dubious because he had pushed for the type of culture that we're currently dealing with right now, because everything that was incentivized on his platform was the extreme ends of the political spectrum. So he says people are really looking for the truth. Well, the people that were really promoted on your platform for a long time were individuals who are on the extreme left or the extreme right, especially when it comes to some of the cultural issues. Anyone who wanted to be reasonable, who wanted to be fair, who wanted to, you know, go for evidence based commentary was not really incentivized on that platform for a long, long time. And so I think that's part of the reason why you now have two political parties that have a difficult time speaking to each other. And I'm not talking about those in power, I'm talking about the actual voters. And what I'm trying to do through the work I'm putting out there at TYT is to get Democratic voters to understand that the voters on the other side of the aisle are not a monolith, they're not Nazis, they're not going to come for you, they're not going to imprison you, they're not going to bust into your home with guns and murder you. All of the fear mongering that was promoted on these platforms is untrue. And the only way that we're going to save this country is if we open up up lines of dialogue and speak to each other again and actually see each other as human beings who might have political disagreements, who might want to engage in hot debates, and that's totally fine. But you have to see the humanity in people first. And that has been disincentivized over the last, I would say, 10 years.
- [31:32]
Megyn Kelly
It was amazing to hear some of those lies repeated at the Senate confirmation hearing of Pam Bondi yesterday, where they were trying to suggest that, you know, would you, as Attorney General, enforce an order or maybe. No, it was hegseth. Would you enforce an order to send the military in against President Trump's enemy from within? Like, okay, you've conflated so many different remarks that Trump made there. He did say enemy within. He did not say he would unleash the military on the enemy within, which is a political body or animal or opponent that he doesn't like. But what he said was asked by Maria Bartiromo was, if things get crazy around the election and we have mass riots, would you bring in the military? And in that context, he said, yes. Any event, it's, it's turned into, like this, a Senate question that has to be asked of all the nominees whether they'll do it. It's a lie. It is divisive. And it's probably one of the reasons that Anna's listeners or some of them think Trump might show up with, you know, a machete and a Marine to arrest them if they voted for Kamala, which is, yeah, what's going to happen?
- [32:30]
Anna Kasparian
I mean, yeah, and look, I would say that one of Trump's flaws is the fact that he says things that are extreme and irresponsible and he hurts himself that way because I think that he does have some good instincts. And those good instincts get totally drowned out by some of the more irresponsible rhetoric he engages in. And of course, the Democratic Party is going to capitalize on that. They're going to exploit that for their own political purposes. And so I think Susie Wiles has actually been a really good influence on Donald Trump. I think that she has managed to kind of keep him on the straight and narrow. And as a result of that, there's been a lot more focus on what he wants to do policy wise as opposed to his rhetoric. So hopefully that continues. And I don't agree with everything he does. Obviously, I don't agree with all of his policies. But at least we're having a conversation about policy.
- [33:24]
Megyn Kelly
He's changed all the conversations we're having in this country versus where we were 10 years ago. All right, let me spend some time on the nominees because I do think it's very interesting what's happening on Capitol Hill. And we left off yesterday with Pam Bondi, who was on the hot seat while we were on the air. And it didn't get any nicer for her after we went off the air. But she handled herself so beautifully. I mean, like a pro. It's very hard to shake a seasoned lawyer with your purported tough cross examination. A lot of these lawmakers on Capitol Hill are in fact, lawyers. Most of the ones who were questioning yesterday didn't seem like they were, I'll put it that way. And she, she just like a boss was in there. I was very impressed by her. I've known her for a long time, but she was at her best. And here is, here are a couple of examples. Here she is with Senator Alex Padilla of California, Democrat, holding her ground in Sat one.
- [34:15]
Kamala Harris
Senator, you're speaking.
- [34:17]
Megyn Kelly
May I speak?
- [34:19]
Kamala Harris
You come ask you the next question.
- [34:20]
Kevin Madden
You can speak and I Hope you answer, Ms. Bondi.
- [34:22]
Megyn Kelly
Now, when we met yesterday, Senator, when we met yesterday, you pointed your finger at me and said you did not.
- [34:27]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Seem to be familiar.
- [34:28]
Kamala Harris
Let me answer my question. I'm not going to be bullied.
- [34:33]
Megyn Kelly
That was good. Okay. Just started setting the ground rules. Like I'm here and I'm not a pushover. Here's the second one. Same, same two watch, same two people gave an opportunity to study overnight. So can you tell me and this.
- [34:46]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Committee what the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment says.
- [34:50]
Megyn Kelly
Senator, I'm here to answer your questions.
- [34:53]
Kamala Harris
I'm not here to do your homework.
- [34:54]
Megyn Kelly
And study for you.
- [34:55]
Kamala Harris
If I am confirmed as a.
- [34:57]
Karine Jean-Pierre
You're the one asking for a confirmation, though.
- [34:58]
Kamala Harris
You cut me off.
- [34:59]
Megyn Kelly
Can I please finish?
- [35:01]
Karine Jean-Pierre
What does the 14th Amendment say, Senator?
- [35:03]
Kamala Harris
Senator, the 14th Amendment, we all know, addresses birthright citizenship. I have been a state prosecutor. I've been a state ag.
- [35:09]
Megyn Kelly
I look forward to, even given your remarks today, working with you and the people of California, if I am confirmed.
- [35:17]
Kamala Harris
As the 87th Attorney General of the.
- [35:20]
Megyn Kelly
United States of America. I didn't take your homework assignment.
- [35:23]
Kamala Harris
I'm sorry.
- [35:24]
Megyn Kelly
I was preparing for today, Kevin. I don't know how you do better than that.
- [35:32]
Kevin Madden
One of the things that Bondi, I think, benefited from in particular is that there's this inside the bubble, and a lot of it's from inside the Beltway, but there's this inside the bubble sort of assessment of anybody who's a Trump supporter and any of Trump's nominees that so many of these Democratic senators just bought into, and they didn't really do or I think, do their due diligence or really sort of get as good an assessment as they should have about the long and lengthy resume of accomplishment and the long and lengthy resume and the history that they have as elected officials, and that Pam Bondi, having been an elected attorney general in Florida, which is a very, very tough place to prosper as an elected official, really a lot of public strengths and that was on display in this hearing. And I think the other benefit that Pam Bondi had is that she tended to really benefit from, I think, the incompetence of her opponents and the way that the questioning went about, the personal criticism and just like the impolite nature of it all just really played to her strengths. Now, if this had happened, if this was a flip, this was Republicans that were questioning a Democratic woman in this, in this way. There had been outrage across a lot of the cable networks about how rude they were and how insensitive they were and how this was going to turn off women voters all across the country. And so, you know, those were my immediate thoughts upon, upon watching it and witnessing it yesterday.
- [37:16]
Megyn Kelly
But they, they know that the media won't do that because she's a Republican, but also because she was so solid, like she was unbullyable, which is lovely to see. I have to say, after watching the Democratic female senators at the Hegseth hearing on Monday, it was a delight or whatever. That day, Tuesday was. It was a delight to see a strong, smart, composed woman being on the hot seat and handling herself like a professional, which is what the vast majority of women behave like. Not like the hysterics we saw on Tuesday. What you said was meant. Yeah, those remarks are very hurtful. Like, what did you do here? U.S. senator, stop talking about people's feelings for the love of God. In any event, that was Gillibrand.
- [37:56]
Anna Kasparian
You guys thought what you guys thought. Oh, I was going to ask about Gillibrand. I actually think Gillibrand did a pretty fantastic job talking about, you know, the role of women in the military. I mean, look, I got to be honest, at this moment, when the military is having an incredibly difficult time recruiting, at a time when America is still struggling with obesity, beggars can't be choosers. And if you have women who are fit enough who are able to pass that fitness test in order to be in combat roles, I. I think it's fair to ask Pete Hegseth why he has an issue with women being included in said combat roles.
- [38:32]
Megyn Kelly
So I thought I'd answer. I. I had. I actually didn't really have a problem with the questions themselves that she asked. I didn't really agree with the premise because I do understand what's what. Pete's position has been, having listened to it a long, long time, for many, many years. It's not about women in general. It is about we just can't lower standards. And her response, which was, we haven't, like, give me specific examples where we have. That was totally fair game. It was a good response and he had an answer to it. But what I objected to with her was that the nature of the delivery, the hysterics, she sounded. I cringe when our fellow women who make their way into these, you know, halls of power behave like the hysterical women many men still believe they always are. Like, would you keep it together, for the love of God? Like, she was shouting. I was in the room and she was like, what you said is hurtful. It's mean. She sound. She. Her facial expressions looked like she was losing it. She looked overly emotional. Playing right to stereotype. And it was unbecoming. And then you went down the line. Just got worse. She was the best of the Democrats, but they just got worse. I mean, Hirono was a nightmare. Tammy Duckworth, who you think would have been the most composed. I mean, an actual soldier who'd been in war. No, no, she wasn't. So I. A lot of what I objected to was There you don't hear men behaving like that. And we really need to, like, be a little bit more professional. You, you can punch as hard as you want to with the, with the rhetoric and the words, but keep your tone. The nasal nature of the comments, the facial expressions, the near tears look that the unbotox eyebrows will allow. Those are bad.
- [40:13]
Anna Kasparian
Yeah, I mean, look, I think a lot of these hearings end up being performances. You know, it's really political theater. And at the moment.
- [40:21]
Kevin Madden
Good point.
- [40:21]
Anna Kasparian
Right. Right now for Democrats, it's nothing but political theater because all you need is a simple majority in the Senate to, you know, confirm these Trump nominees. And so they're using this as a moment to kind of do their own political virtue, signaling to their base. And so. I understand that. And look, I mean, what you're saying is really subjective. Some women are super into it. Some people are really into seeing, like, a strong fighter, especially a woman, in the Senate. Others are turned off by it. So I totally hear what you're saying, but I do think that Gillibrand has some pretty good questions, so we'll see what happens.
- [40:55]
Kevin Madden
Anna's right. Just real quick, Megan. Yeah, yeah, Anna makes a great point here. I didn't find it offensive for any of those other reasons. I found it offensive as a purported professional communicator, because for me, I couldn't figure out who the audience was that was persuadable or who they were seeking to mobilize beyond their most active base. And I think that's the big problem. And I think that's consistent with Anna's assessment of it, too, which is that if you're only communicating to this already converted part of your party, what's the real political objective here? And if the. The Democratic Party has to find a way to get back with Latino voters, get back its strength with working class voters, get back its strength with outside of the urban areas and more suburban and rural areas, and build up that support. Given what happened, none of whom is watching this, none of them are watching it, but they are seeing the atomized version of it all. And if it's not focused in a way that really sort of motivates them to care, motivates them to sort of feel that they have a stake in it. And it's only Matsi Hirono and Kirsten Gillibrand or Sheldon Whitehouse, very harsh, active liberal voices inside the party berating nominees who. The thing I think about the strongest about hegseth nomination is, and again, I think there's an entire discussion we should have about how he brought it back, how he resuscitated it, because it was hanging on a thread there for a while. But it's that. That he wants to bring an infantry perspective to national security decision making and to the posture of the armed services. And there is a focus on making sure that the president's vision is executed and implemented, despite what some of the military brass who would disagree, however you fall on that, that's a really good, strong place to argue, rather than some of the, some of the topics that they choose to fight on, which were very specifically tailored to an already converted liberal Democratic base.
- [43:12]
Megyn Kelly
Yeah. You cheated on your wives. Oh, like. Okay, I want to say this. Having practiced law for many years and sat in the Supreme Court as a correspondent for three, they should be more like the Supreme Court justices who disagree vehemently, but it's almost never 1% of the time. Maybe if that, maybe not. Maybe I'm being ungenerous. Do you ever hear hysterics from the left or the right, from the women or the men? The women on this U.S. supreme Court, far left though they may be, you know, Sotomayor, Brown, Jackson, they don't behave that way. They maintain their composure and their dignity, and they can slice and dice with the best of them. And I realize they have a different audience they're trying to persuade, which is most of the righties down the. Down the way. But. And they're. To your point, Anna, that these women were trying to get sound bites that would be energetic or motivating or soothing in some way to their base.
- [44:04]
Anna Kasparian
Make headlines, too.
- [44:05]
Megyn Kelly
Womankind suffers when they behave like the hysterical 50s housewives who men would rush to drug up when they behave that way. Okay, wait. Let's move on because I want to play you another sound bite. Where'd it go? Number four. This is Adam Schiff and Pam Bondi.
- [44:26]
Anna Kasparian
You have the independence to say that.
- [44:27]
Karine Jean-Pierre
You have the gravitas, the stature, the.
- [44:30]
Megyn Kelly
Testimonial fortitude to say, Donald Trump, you lost the 2020 election.
- [44:34]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Can you tell us that here today, Senator?
- [44:37]
Megyn Kelly
What I can tell you is I will never play politics. You're trying to engage me in a gotcha. I want to ask you a simple question. You can speak truth with any on point.
- [44:46]
Anna Kasparian
So let me ask you another.
- [44:47]
Kamala Harris
Like you did leaking your colleague Devin Nunes memoir.
- [44:52]
Megyn Kelly
All right, Anna, what I see there, I mean, is a page out of the Kayleigh McEnany book. Remember when, you know, Trump went through all these press secretaries and he settled on Kayleigh McEnany who was young, like sort of an ingenue recently out of Harvard Law and had spent some time at cnn. And she got up there and turned the tables inside that press briefing room where she would attack the press and Republicans hate the press. So it was absolutely risk free for her. And it worked. It worked really well. Trump loved it. Republicans enjoyed it. People started watching the briefings again. They got, I like, I'm seeing this pattern now with Bondi a little bit with Pete. They've been nice to Marco Rubio. But there's like, this is an effective tactic that most importantly, I think the boss enjoys.
- [45:44]
Anna Kasparian
Yeah, definitely. I mean, I'm sure if, if Trump was watching, he absolutely loved the way she handled the confirmation hearing yesterday. But I will say this, look, I think she did a good job in terms of optics, for sure. I wish that the Senate confirmation hearings were less about the optics in politics and more about the records of these individuals. And so I would have preferred that she just said Biden won the 2020 election that way it would take the one and only question away from the Democrats. Well, she said Biden is the president.
- [46:18]
Megyn Kelly
He's president. He's.
- [46:19]
Anna Kasparian
Yeah, exactly. And so that allowed for the Democrats to continue asking the same boring question over and over and over and over again. And I would have loved for them to delve into her record in Florida. Right. I want to learn more about her. I'm sure the American people want to learn more about her. But honestly, at this point, the Democratic Party has one speed and one speed only. And I'm sure it was aggravating for her as well to be asked the exact same question over and over again and to talk about optics briefly. I think that the way Adam Schiff behaved in that Senate confirmation hearing was the absolute worst because he wasn't really interested in hearing her answers at all and seemed to be interrupting her before she could answer. It came across as bullying and I don't think it's a good look at at all. So Democrats aren't really thinking about the optics. They're not really delving into the records of these individuals. And I think that's a big problem.
- [47:11]
Megyn Kelly
All right. I'm going to shock the world right now and defend Adam Schiff not in response to what you just said, but in response to the heat he's getting for the following clip sat 7 nappy time.
- [47:24]
Kamala Harris
It is an existential threat.
- [47:26]
Megyn Kelly
Also, I have not seen it yet.
- [47:28]
Kamala Harris
But what, from what, what I've heard.
- [47:30]
Megyn Kelly
About FBI, former FBI, someone in the audience behind Cam on 60 Minutes regarding his videotaping Adam Schiff, ourselves within our own country, infiltrating our water systems, our natural gas lines. I defend Adam Schiff because these confirmation hearings are boring. We put the highlights on tv, but having just sat through the one on Tuesday, and that was the spiciest of them all. They're boring. It's hard. And I even said to one of the senators after the fact, I'm like, God, that's boring. And this person said to me, normally we don't sit in there the whole time. They said we, we all just sat in there because there were so many people and this was an exciting one and we knew it was going to be spicy. But normally we just do our part and we get out of there because, Kevin, it's boring.
- [48:15]
Kevin Madden
It is. They. And you know, having worked up on Capitol Hill for a long time, I know that it is when you're sitting through, especially in those places, are not comfortable, right? I mean, if you've ever been in one of those hearing rooms, there's a lot of droning on, there's a lot of talking, but it's also not very comfortable and they're also very stuffy. So I would not hold it against anybody to take a little eye 10 minute. I close nap.
- [48:38]
Megyn Kelly
Who could blame him?
- [48:40]
Kevin Madden
But I always, my view is always.
- [48:41]
Megyn Kelly
Like, she was asleep half the time her last couple years on the bed, she's like, I get it.
- [48:45]
Kevin Madden
80% of the time, these folks that get caught on camera doing that are actually just probably looking at their cell phone, looking down at their cell phone. So. But yeah, I don't blame anybody for taking a little eye rest during one of these.
- [48:56]
Megyn Kelly
All right, so final question before I let you go. We got a minute left. Do any one of these nominees get stopped? Is. Is there a single nominee who's not going to get through Kevin and then Anna?
- [49:07]
Kevin Madden
No, I think they're all going to make their. I think Hegseth will probably be the closest, followed by Tulsi Gabbard, but I think they'll all find their way through.
- [49:17]
Megyn Kelly
Anna, what do you think?
- [49:18]
Anna Kasparian
I agree. I agree. I think all of them will very likely be confirmed. Just my personal preferences. I have the biggest issue with Pete Hegseth, given the allegations against him. I'm pretty sure everyone in your audience disagrees with me. But it's not just the allegations. I'm concerned about the lack of experience for an incredibly important role. Secretary of Defense is not a small thing. And I'm worried that at a time when we're involved in conflicts abroad that we're gonna have someone at the helm who is not experienced for this position.
- [49:51]
Megyn Kelly
I got you. Although I will point out that Barack Obama became our commander in chief after being a community organizer. So it's like it's all relative. I think you're right. They're all getting through and I think that's a good thing. And if they stink, we've got the firer in chief in the Oval Office. He loves to fire people. He's proven he'll do it over and over. So we've got that fail safe. Anna, Kevin, thank you both so much. That was great. Appreciate it. Up next, Lincoln, Amala are back and much, much more to discuss. Are you ready to make better sleep? Your New Year's resolution? Let me tell you about Cozy Earth. Their sheets, made with 100% premium viscose from bamboo, are incredibly soft, breathable and get even softer with every wash. Good sleep is essential to your routine, gives you the energy to tackle your day and feel your best. Cozy Earth also prioritizes quality and care with a 100 night sleep trial. You try their sheets out for up to 100 nights and if you do not love them, they let you return them for a full refund. Who else does that? And for cozy nights and relaxed mornings, their bamboo pajama set is another must have. It's soft, breathable and sleeps cooler than cotton, keeping you perfectly comfortable. A better year starts with better sleep. Wrap yourself in cozy earth. Visit cozyearth.com Megan. Use my exclusive code, Megan M E G Y N for up to 40% off your order. That's cozyearth.com Megan. And if you get a Post purchase survey, tell them you heard about Cozy Earth from the Megan Kelly Show. Don't wait. Head to cozyearth.com Megan now and use code Megan M E G Y N for up to 40% off. Well, the inauguration of Donald Trump is next week. It's down to days now. Can you believe, believe it, that we will finally be saying goodbye to Joe Biden and hello again to Mr. Trump. And the left is melting down over Carrie Underwood accepting an invitation to perform at the inauguration. Meantime, JILL Biden, that's Dr. Jill, for those of you playing at home, takes the first shot at Nancy Pelosi. Well, I mean, the first shot publicly. I do believe Nancy fired the first shot at them in a Washington Post exit interview that will make your stomach turn, but also has some interesting things in it. Joining me now to discuss it all, Amala Epanobi, host of The Amala Epanobi podcast and link. Lauren, former senior advisor to RFK junior and social media influencer. Welcome back, guys. Great to see you. There's so much to go over here. I love the Dr. Jill sit down piece with the Washington Post. This is how it begins. Okay?
- [52:27]
Anna Kasparian
On.
- [52:27]
Megyn Kelly
I gotta put on my. My glasses because the print is so teeny tiny. It says, okay. The first lady says she's at peace with this ending, but this is in quotes. Let's just say I was disappointed with how it unfolded. Why? I don't know. I learned a lot about human nature. There are scores of relationships, good and bad, that pinwheel outward from her marriage in which Jill is the keeper of the family grudges. Quote, you said that. I didn't, she interrupts, laughing. I don't think I said that, continues the writer. She did in fact say that. And then quoting Jill, Joe has an incredible capacity to forgive and he's incapable of holding a grudge. End quote. This is what Jill wrote in her 2019 memoir. But that means I end up being the holder of grudges, the one who recalls every slight committed. Every slight committed against the people I love. Which brings us to Nancy Pelosi, whom Jill has known as long nearly as Jo. Her face, nearly pearlescent with lustrous foundation, betrays no particular emotion. She's holding a china cup, tea with honey and lemon. It's been on my mind a lot lately. And Jill pauses. We were friends for 50 years. She's using her teacher's voice now. It was disappointing. So they're not loving Nanpal, and who could blame them? But Joe Biden, he holds no grudges whatsoever. Amala, fear not. It's just Dr. Jill.
- [54:04]
Kamala Harris
Yeah, I don't know if Joe Biden has an incredible capacity to forgive or it's his incredible capacity to forget, because we all know how he's doing cognitively with all of these things. I think Jill Biden is so upset because she was really a conduit of power through Joe Biden and she was doing so much behind the scenes. You know, Joe, you've answered all the questions. She was on stage and through his presidency, she was kind of, you know, a little bit of the president, if we're all looking at this the way we're looking at it. So to be slighted by Nancy Pelosi, who she knows has a dark history and a dark present, she's. She's just not happy about that. I think we've been seeing Joe Biden in the background. Just be more of herself, be more open about what she's truly thinking about what's happening behind the scenes. And this is just one of those times where I guess when she's on the way out, she's just gonna pull the strings and say what she.
- [54:50]
Megyn Kelly
She wants to say to me. Lincoln. Like the fact that they continue at magazine after magazine, newspaper after newspaper are trying to convince us of Jill Biden's just preternatural beauty and fashion sense. I'm like, I'm sick of. This is a pattern with her. Like, honestly, they have her on Vogue. Like. Like she truly is some supermodel. They never put Melania as you. So it's like, can you stop with the pearlescent skin? Like, just come on. It's over the top.
- [55:23]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Absolutely. I mean, they put her on the COVID of Vogue three times, and then they gave Anna Wintour a medal of freedom. So I guess that was the trade off. But Jill Biden, in my opinion, she is going to go down as one of the most unlikable women in politics. She has no one else to blame for herself for the position that she is in. She has beefs with Nancy Pelosi right now with Kamala Harris. She is like the Regina George of Washington, D.C. this is like senior citizen mean girls, okay? Geriatric mean girls. Right now, Jill Biden is burning every bridge. She's stabbing people in the back. She's shaking people. She's like Harry and Meghan in that way. But Jill Biden, she has to blame herself because I don't know any wife or any woman who would have allowed their husband to go on national TV on June 27 and do what he did in that debate. If you had any dignity or respect for your man, you would have said, you know what, it's time to retire years ago, but you were so power hungry. And Hunter as well, that kept pushing Joe and pushing Joe when they knew he was cognitively impaired.
- [56:21]
Megyn Kelly
Yeah, because she wanted access to power. And that's why she's so super upset with Nancy Pelosi. All right, so Nancy Pelosi, speaking of, is not going to be at the inauguration on Monday. We don't know why she recently.
- [56:36]
Anna Kasparian
Are you.
- [56:37]
Megyn Kelly
Are you more sad that she won't be there, Link or Michelle Obama? Which one will you miss more?
- [56:41]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Oh, okay. Everybody's saying maybe Michelle Obama, she just has morals and principles and she doesn't want to be around Donald Trump. I think she got a facelift or a necklace. Maybe she's not healed. Pelosi, too. I don't think there's some big reason Michelle Obama isn't going to the inauguration. But I digress. Back to you.
- [56:58]
Megyn Kelly
It would have been ill timed if she had planned to go to the inauguration.
- [57:01]
Karine Jean-Pierre
It would have either that. Yeah. Something going on there.
- [57:06]
Megyn Kelly
Okay, well, the wine continues to tine and we'll continue to watch it. But I. The big inauguration news today is not Pelosi yesterday, it was Michelle. It's Carrie Underwood. And apparently she's losing all sorts of fan groups. The LGBTQ community in particular, I guess, is very upset about the fact that she's agreed to sing at the inauguration. And she's saying, I love my country. I think this is a great chance to express that love and participate in a moment of unity. Her leftist base is not having it. Amala.
- [57:42]
Kamala Harris
Yeah, I mean, I'm not surprised by this whatsoever. If you have any sort of association with Donald Trump, even if that's just singing at the inauguration, you're going to be cut off by every single left leaning person who used to be a fan of yours. But really, are we surprised? I mean, just look at Carrie Underwood. Have you guys seen the CMAs? Do you know what's going on in country music? It's pretty typical. I would think that these people would either be supporters of Donald Trump or love their country so much that they're willing to represent it at the inauguration. And that's exactly what Carrie Underwood has taxed herself with. And let's be real, she hasn't come out and gave any statement about her politics or how she feels about the 2024 election. So let her be her and let her love this country. We used to be under the umbrella of a shared love for country, but differences in politics and now it's if you love your country, if you want to represent America, you're a white supremacist MAGA supporter.
- [58:35]
Megyn Kelly
No. Here's what she said to tmz. I love our country and I'm honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking at the future. She will be performing America the Beautiful. It's like, great. That's what performers do. And the inauguration is not just for core maga, link, it's for all of America. Why would she say it's the fact that she doesn't hate him. And by the way, she's actually made fun of him in the past. We don't Know what her politics are when it comes to Trump, because even some Republicans historically have not liked him. We don't know what Howard, what her. Right. But why? Why wouldn't she take this amazing performative opportunity on behalf of the country to try to unify some.
- [59:22]
Kevin Madden
Exactly.
- [59:23]
Karine Jean-Pierre
I mean, Carrie Underwood should 100% perform at the inauguration, but this is what happens with the left. Or this woke mob on the left, especially in the entertainment industry. They preach about diversity all the time, but not diversity of thought. Because God forbid you go and perform at a Republican's inauguration, you're suddenly Persona non grata. Well, I hate to tell you, Trump just won in a historic landslide. The popular vote, the House, the Senate, the Electoral College. Carrie Underwood should 100% be there. And the fans she might lose on the left. Left, I'm sure she's going to gain on the right. And she's going to sound amazing doing it.
- [59:55]
Megyn Kelly
This is what Rolling Stone is reporting, that this cohort of queer fans of Underwood have spent more than a decade believing the singer supported them. Now they're in the midst of unraveling what it means to be suddenly shocked into a reality that does not align with their own. Fan accounts dedicated to Underwood have continued to voice their disappointment in her decision. Quote, while I will always love and support Carrie, this account will not be covering her upcoming appearance at Trump's inauguration, nor any other comments or appearances she makes in support of this convicted felon. The Carrie Underwood UK account shared with its 14,000 followers on X. Other social media users are encouraging listeners who are removing Underwood from their playlists to tune into other artists with more outspoken track records. I think on LGBTQ or anti Trump matters, if you need another female country artist that actually gives a about society and women, I present to you Casey Musgraves and Marin Morris. One Expo post read time and time again, they explicitly support what's right and publicly reject racist homophobic bs. I mean that's actually surprising to me in country music, Amala, that you've got these two who I. I don't really know them or what their social media posts are, but that even countries getting divided in the way the rest of the actual country America is.
- [61:16]
Kamala Harris
Yeah, oh absolutely, 100%. And we've been covering this sort of split that's taking place within country music and it's been happening over the last few years with Casey Musgraves and Maren Morris. They're extremely pro lgbtq. Casey Musgraves has music videos online where she has drag queens running around behind the Scenes talking about pride and how love is love. Maren Morris very famously endorsed trans children and transitioning kids and says that we need to protect trans kids, which we all know don't. Don't exist. But that created a major rift within country music where a lot of people, artists were dividing over this and their support of Donald Trump and whether or not that makes them homophobic. I have to point out, though, the sense of entitlement that fans have. The most you know about Carrie Underwood is her music and what she looks like. And you think you have some sense of entitlement over her opinion, her political affiliation. And if she doesn't abide by your. Or toe the line of your ideology, you're no longer going to listen to music that you once enjoyed. These are just people robbing themselves of good experiences of good music, and they can't recognize that there is a divide between you and the artist. You might feel like you have this social relationship with them, but it's a parasocial one and you're not entitled to their opinion. Yeah.
- [62:27]
Megyn Kelly
And by the way, she hasn't even expressed one right. She's like, literally just going to sing America the Beautiful, so calm down. It's ridiculous. Here is the View link. Weighing in. I know you were waiting to hear what Whoopi Goldberg had to say, and I have it for you. Take a listen.
- [62:41]
Kamala Harris
We all were.
- [62:42]
Anna Kasparian
I wouldn't do it.
- [62:42]
Megyn Kelly
Even though I would not sing. No, I would not. I would not normalize him. And she says, I love our country. How do you love your country and.
- [62:49]
Anna Kasparian
Support and normalize somebody who was a.
- [62:52]
Megyn Kelly
Convicted felon who really wants to destroy the country?
- [62:54]
Karine Jean-Pierre
In my opinion.
- [62:55]
Megyn Kelly
I don't understand how you say you love your country at the same time.
- [62:58]
Anna Kasparian
As you normalize this convicted felon, which.
- [63:01]
Megyn Kelly
I can say now every day. I agree with you, Joy. I can't sing a lick, but I certainly.
- [63:06]
Karine Jean-Pierre
And I have not been asked.
- [63:07]
Anna Kasparian
But if I were asked, it would be a hard no.
- [63:10]
Megyn Kelly
Well, people do what they do for whatever reasons.
- [63:13]
Anna Kasparian
It's like Joe and Mika.
- [63:14]
Kevin Madden
They do what they did.
- [63:15]
Megyn Kelly
They felt that's what they needed to do, and I gotta stand behind them.
- [63:19]
Kevin Madden
Yeah.
- [63:19]
Megyn Kelly
You know, and I stand behind her if she's. No, no, not. Or not. Because if I believe I have the.
- [63:26]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Right to make up my mind to.
- [63:27]
Megyn Kelly
Go perform someplace, I believe they have the same right. Of course. And so I have to.
- [63:32]
Kevin Madden
Yeah, I gotta. I have to support.
- [63:35]
Megyn Kelly
I mean, of course she has the right to do it. What an inane point. To bring them all together. Like what? She's saying absolutely nothing. And those two cretins at the top, right, Joy and Sunny. No, it's a hard no. And I. How can she go perform at the inauguration of a convicted felon? You can see they just keep wrapping that around themselves. Link. Like a lovely little snuggle blanket that a three year old uses. No.
- [64:01]
Karine Jean-Pierre
As if the music industry is this great moral place. There are tons of convicted felons in the music industry working the music industry at these record labels. Does she listen to rap?
- [64:10]
Megyn Kelly
Sonny's not careful. Her husband's going to be one.
- [64:12]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Her husband? Excuse me, Sonny, your husband. Exactly. He's under investigation. Sonny's gonna have to be on that show. Like, I have a legal note about my husband, but, yeah. No, for a second, I thought I was watching Pete Hegseth confirmation with these screeching women talking over each other. Just painful, painful, painful. I'd rather do it than watch the View. No, I did not like that. But yeah, no, the View is not a moral authority on anything. I mean, the day I look to Joy Behar for life advice is the day I retire. So, no, thank you.
- [64:39]
Megyn Kelly
Wait, can you expand on your. Your reaction to the Pete Hegseth cross examiners?
- [64:45]
Karine Jean-Pierre
The Pete Hegseth confirmation hearing was like nails on a chalkboard. Okay? If I wanted to hear those women screeching and yelling for three hours, like I said, I would go and watch the View. And me, I could not do the confirmation hearings because I don't sit in rooms with fluorescent lighting for that long. I mean, it's hard to make Pete Hegseth look bad. The lighting in there was rough. But, no, that confirmation hearing was nothing. Was nothing but political theater. Tim Kaine made an ass of himself during that confirmation hearing, so what an embarrassment.
- [65:16]
Megyn Kelly
Yeah, he's gotten angrier and angrier. And one of the things that was weird about him during the cross examination, he kept, like, sinking further in his seat, like, I'm for the listening audience. I'm going down now. You can see the top, like, of my head at my desk. He kept slinking down. It was like the lower he went physically is the lower he went rhetorically. And he just looked like a little like a rat, you know, in the corner, like low and small. And the angry eyebrows. And, you know, the performance matched it.
- [65:42]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Well, also, Tim Kaine is a guy who campaigned with Doug Imhoff, who was accused of open face slapping his girlfriend and then never even really denied it. But the liberal press, they never pressed him on it for the 107 days. Kamala Harris ran that campaign. He also campaigned with Bill Clinton, who took how many trips to Epstein's Island? So I don't think Tim Kaine is a moral authority either. But he sat there badgering Pete Hegseth about who we may or may not have slept with 10 years ago. This is someone who's turned his life over to God. He's open about his flaws and everything. He has grit. He's a real man. That's why people resonate him. Resonate with him. The last thing I'll say about Pete Hegseth is he might not have the endorsement of the military contractors or all these lobbyists. He has the endorsement of actual men and women in uniform, and that's what should matter for that role.
- [66:27]
Megyn Kelly
Yeah, there were marches of a Couple hundred Navy SEALs through Washington in support of Pete. I don't remember ever seeing that. I mean, like, that's what I think. Got Joni Ernst in the end. Pete met with her repeatedly. To her credit, she took those meetings. But I believe Joni Ernst when she says, and she said it a long time, that she listens to the rank and file. That's what. That's who's opinion she's most interested in on military matters. And I believe those men and women spoke to her and she heard them. So good for them, because I think they made a difference. Okay, moving on. Amala, you are. Are you from la? Because I know you've been out there and you've been helping those who have been hurt by the devastation.
- [67:04]
Kamala Harris
I am not from la, originally from Florida, but I live here in LA and have for the last few years.
- [67:10]
Megyn Kelly
Okay, so were. Were you or were you not thrilled to see Megan and Harry show up and offer their support and help? Heartfelt, sincere help?
- [67:20]
Kamala Harris
Yeah.
- [67:21]
Anna Kasparian
You know what?
- [67:21]
Kamala Harris
I don't know how much a hug accomplishes in this time. I hope they're doing actual work where they're actually bringing, you know, donations, resources, things that people actually need in the wake of these fires to them. If they're doing that, you know, kudos to you. I have a feeling they knew they were going to be some cameras present, and we're seeing a lot of celebrities, some of whom were not directly impacted.
- [67:42]
Anna Kasparian
Showing up to, you know, give a.
- [67:43]
Kamala Harris
Hug here and a slap on the back there. I hope they're actually doing something rather than showing up for their photo op.
- [67:50]
Megyn Kelly
Did you. Did you make sure that you were caught by the cameras when you went to help? Did you make sure that your name got in the press?
- [67:58]
Kamala Harris
Yes, absolutely. I actually called beforehand and I said, you know what, if there's not at least 10 cameras there, just send me on another day, you know, let me know when to really be there.
- [68:06]
Anna Kasparian
If it's.
- [68:07]
Kamala Harris
It didn't happen.
- [68:09]
Megyn Kelly
What we've now established is that Amala is the nicest of the three of us because I know you and I are more like minded about this visit.
- [68:17]
Karine Jean-Pierre
These two hucksters should have stayed home. Okay? The fact that they're out there getting a private tour of Pasadena and walking through the rubble. There are people who lost everything and they haven't been allowed to go back and to see if even a photo album made it. But Harry and Meghan are out traipsing through doing a photo shoot with paparazzi in tow. The Duke and Duchess of White Castle. People are so delusional. I am sick of seeing them. They should go back to the UK and eat crumpets and scones and beg for forgiveness from King Charles. Express contrition. We don't need them there. Let me just say, Meghan, when I saw the headline that said Meghan Markle was out surveying the damage. Why is she surveying the damage? Is she a first responder? Is she a firefighter? Is she going to say, let's bring in the excavator and the crane? She had no business being there whatsoever. Ever. The only silver lining from all of this is that her cringe worthy Netflix show got pushed back. That's the only good thing to come out of all of this.
- [69:12]
Megyn Kelly
Now they're saying it was only pushed back to March, which is shocking because that is. That's way too soon. You. Good luck to her. Who's are she's already battling, you know, record low disapproval, record low approval ratings, releasing a show about her fabulous life in Montecito in her mansion and how to create lovely home events when her city is in ashes in March, nothing will have been rebuilt, never mind even cleaned up. And she's going to be out of there in the flowing gown in the middle of her mansion, like right? Oh, let me show you the perfect tea and champagne combo. Good luck, sister. That's not going to go well. I do want to say this. The Post, New York Post, reports that they were offended by Justine Bateman calling them disaster tourists. The Post reports, quote, it's offensive to Meghan and Harry the that anybody would think this is merely a photo op. A source exclusively tells Page Six, which is obviously Megan. They have dedicated countless hours to volunteering long before the media even caught wind of their involvement. The Source tells us. And, of course, Bateman had tweeted out their ambulance chasers. This is a repulsive photo op. They're touring the damage. Are they politicians? They don't live here. They're tourists. Disaster tourists. So we'll see whether they actually don't drop that Netflix show, because I just. I don't see how they can possibly do it in the wake of.
- [70:41]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Can I add one more thing about Harry and Meghan?
- [70:44]
Megyn Kelly
Yeah.
- [70:44]
Karine Jean-Pierre
If I was in a crisis, they would be the last people I call. Okay. Their own lives are in shambles. They ran their lives into the ground. So why the hell would I call them in a crisis? Imagine your house is burning down. I was thinking about this the other day when I saw the picture. Your house is burning down. You're grabbing your dog, your passport, your kids. You look out the window through the smoke. Oh, my God. Harry and Meghan are here to save me. They had no business being there. Good for Justine Bateman. What a revival for her and her career. She's really getting a lot of press from this, too. So shout out to Justine Bateman.
- [71:15]
Megyn Kelly
She's been amazing. Justine's spectacle. If you don't follow her on X, you absolutely should. No, you're exactly right. The people of California have suffered enough. They don't need these two adding to their troubles who want to see them. And by the way, if I were, like, a man and Megan Markle came over to hug me, I'd be worried. These two are so sue happy, I'd be like, next thing she's going to say, me tutor. Don't say anything to Harry because he's definitely going to sue you for defamation, claiming that you said something that was untrue about him. Like, they. They are sue happy. They are what we call vexatious litigants. So I would stay as far away from those two if I were a property owner. They were on my property, burned or not. I'd be like, oh, my God, don't let them slip and fall. They'll sue me even though my house is in ashes. I just. Just. It's very dangerous. Stay away from them. That's the only possible route forward. All right. Speaking of the LA fires, I didn't get to this yesterday because we had breaking news about Israel, But Karen Pass. You knew it was going to happen eventually, that the pictures of her in Ghana would get released. And they. They did not disappoint. She was having a grand old time as her city was burning, and she was actually asked after the fact. We'll put the pictures up in a second. But she was here. Look at her. Here she is chit chatting away in an absolutely lovely suite. I mean, I don't know exactly. I am told that she was there. Hold on. I want to find my. My notes with the. That's the king of Ghana that we see her with. Oh, I can't find my notes. But his name is like Tikkotika Taki. It's like, like Tiki Taco Tuka. I can't remember what it is, but it's. She was having a great time with this man instead of flying back to la and now, now somebody asked her, do you regret going to Ghana when like the National Weather Service was jumping up and down saying, you're going to have devastating winds. These are. These actually are going to be really dangerous. And here's what she said.
- [73:10]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Looking back, would you have taken that trip overseas?
- [73:13]
Megyn Kelly
You know, I am going to focus today, but please, on what we know. No. No regrets being with King Tacky Tiki Truru, II Taki Tiki Truro the second of. Of Ghana. No problems whatsoever and no regrets at all. I. The insensitivity of it link is stunning.
- [73:38]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Well, the thing about being a democrat is you get to fail upward. Like Kamala Harris. She's been an utter calamity, but then she gets to be the nomin 107 days, right? So this doesn't happen in any other party. And when it comes to Karen Bass, she needs to resign immediately. What were you doing in Ghana on some Eat Pray love journey safari as your city is burning down? What are you doing? Karen Bass, you need to resign immediately.
- [74:04]
Megyn Kelly
Okay, We're. We're. We lost almost fee, but we're trying to fix it. So standby. We will get her back. No, I think it's actually outrageous. And I have to tell you a fun story, though, about Ghana. My brother has run a number of companies, and one of his big companies, there was a guy who kept missing work. And my brother sat him down and said, like, you can't, you know, sick leave is fine. Some family leave, I get it. But like, you can't just keep missing work. You got to show up at the office more regularly. And the guy said, well, you know, what about. I don't know what the guy's name was. Joe. Joe. He keeps missing work all the time. And it turns out that Joe, who worked for my brother, this is years ago, was the youngest son of the king of Ghana. And the tradition in Ghana is that the youngest son has to be the one to go take care of the king of Ghana if he's ill. And so my brother looked at the first guy and he said, he is the youngest son of the king of Ghana. You are not. So you do have to be here. And sorry, but that, I mean, I would understand if Joe were in Ghana taking care of again, King Takitiki Truru ii. That I would understand. But Karen Bass did not need to be there. And the fact that she's out there, like, no, I don't regret going, is an absurdity that I think will come back to haunt her. Amala, your thoughts?
- [75:26]
Kamala Harris
Yeah, I mean, absolutely. The devastation that she missed out on and which she was part of and privy to is just absolutely unbelievable. Just the question is, what are you doing there? What could you have possibly gained in any way, shape or form being in Ghana at the time that this was taking place? And mind you, this is not typically characteristic of when wildfires start here in Los Angeles. But you are the mayor. Shouldn't you be spending most, if not all, of your time in the city that you are a leader in? And it was just unbelievable for her to get here and take no accountability whatsoever for being gone and saying, you know, well, as soon as I heard, I jumped on the Queen, quickest flight and I've been doing this and that. Meanwhile, she. She cut the budget that very well contributed to this entire disaster that we're experiencing right now and would take no sense of accountability for all the leadership mistakes she made leading up to her big trip to Ghana that landed us in this position.
- [76:18]
Megyn Kelly
Here's what's really galling. You've got MSNBC's Alex Wagner, and she's not the only one out there trying to make it sound like it's. It's conservatives who are making an issue of the gender or DEI status of these firefighters, et cetera, like that. It's conservatives who have brought up, for example, the lesbianism of the top three fire officials in the LAFD. Take a listen here. Sat 25.
- [76:48]
Anna Kasparian
You want to talk about fires, they want to talk about dei. You want to talk about the heroes that have been putting these fires out. They want to talk about the fact.
- [76:55]
Kamala Harris
That the women that run the fire department are.
- [76:57]
Anna Kasparian
Well, the people that run the fire department are women. They want to talk about dei.
- [77:01]
Megyn Kelly
They want to smear a Democrat because.
- [77:03]
Anna Kasparian
He'S the guy in charge, if only.
- [77:05]
Kamala Harris
Because he's a Democrat.
- [77:08]
Megyn Kelly
Link, this is infuriating. There is a conservative who wants to talk about the sexual preferences of the fire chief. Not a single person, not no one. She wanted to talk about it, which is the reason we are reacting to her making it a thing.
- [77:27]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Right? I mean, you can tell MSNBC is all about. All about DEI because the entire primetime lineup looks transgender. But one thing Alex Wagner forgot to mention was there were tons of firefighters who were fired for not getting the vaccination, right? So they were great men and women who were fired for not getting the vaccination. Also, I don't care if someone is black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Indian, male, female, as long as the hydrants have water in them and you can pick me up, scoop me up, and carry me out of the burning building. Other than that, I don't really care who you love, who you go to sleep with, anything like that. But Alex Wagner, all she knows is identity politics. These are her talking points. She's on that show, a very liberal show with a very liberal audience. So of course she's preaching to the choir.
- [78:10]
Megyn Kelly
It's amazing how they do this every time, Amala. They make identity an issue in the first line of the bio in the case of the lafd. But so many videos that they've put out pushing how they have too many white men and they need more. More diversity and they need more women and yay, yay, I'm a lesbian. As if anybody cares who she's sleeping with, never mind her second and third in command. And then when conservatives, after a massive disaster. And by the way, it's not just the right. There are many people who are like, why has this been such an issue? Why did taxpayer dollars go to this instead of filling the hydrants? Then they say, oh, it's a conservative pound situation. Look what. Well, look what the conservatives care about. They want to talk about the color or this, the gender or the sexual orientation of the people involved here. No, that's not how it went down.
- [78:56]
Kamala Harris
Yeah, 100%. You know, they say every time you see somebody who you do not like, you call them a DEI hire. Excuse me, we don't have to call you DEI hires. You do it yourself. We've seen the diversity, equity and inclusion rollout all through lafd, and people are retorting back and saying, look at this fire chief. She's not just a lesbian. She's not just a woman. She's had 22 years experience as a firefighter and an engineer. Excuse me, you're the ones who didn't tell us about the 22 years of experience. You rolled her out as a lesbian woman who's now the fire chief. And they've wasted time and resources and money, our money, on training these firefighters on implicit bias and white supremacy and the hierarchy of race. That is time and resources that could have been spent doing brush clearance or controlled fires or making sure the fire hydrants actually had water in them or that we could use the water reservoir that had 117 million gallons of water that was rendered unusable in these wildfires. So that's why we're discussing a diversity, equity, inclusion.
- [79:53]
Megyn Kelly
Yeah. And that Schellenberger was pointing out that, okay, so they had to make repairs to the COVID which is why it was emptied. Why did they have to make it during peak fire season? Why couldn't they wait until we weren't in peak fire season? Like, how grossly irresponsible. These. There are unquestionably management fall downs left and right when it comes to what happened out there. And eventually they will be held to account. All right, now, on this subject of. Of. Look at me. Look at me. I'm this. I'm a first. This. I'm a first that we have to say goodbye to Karine Jean Pierre. I'm sorry, guys, but she's going. It's like, this is the way it's gonna. You know, it's the one sadness of Trump winning, because, let's face it, we're gonna miss her a little bit. Like, I mean, I kind of missed her word salads. In fact, I'll start with the word salads. Just so you two will be feeling the pangs that I've been feeling, here's a little montage of some of the best slash worst of Karine Jean Pierre at the podium.
- [80:44]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Great.
- [80:44]
Megyn Kelly
It is hard for us to keep up with this president. What I see is a strong, resolute president. We're seeing these deep fakes, these manipulated videos, by the way, used to make beer brewed. Here it is. Used to make the brew beard in this.
- [80:59]
Kevin Madden
Define, oh, Earth rider.
- [81:02]
Megyn Kelly
Thanks for the Great Lakes.
- [81:03]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Is there any possibility that the President would end up pardoning his son?
- [81:07]
Megyn Kelly
No.
- [81:07]
Karine Jean-Pierre
You've lost his head several times. The President would not pardon or commute sentences for his son, Hunter. I just want to make sure that that is not going to change over the next six months.
- [81:16]
Megyn Kelly
The President's saying it's still a no. It's still a no.
- [81:20]
Karine Jean-Pierre
It will always be a no.
- [81:21]
Megyn Kelly
It's still a no. It will be a no. It is a no. And I don't have anything else to add. Three U.S. winners of the 2022 Nobel Prize, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Who won the Nobel Prize. Nobel Prize in Physics. Who won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences? I. I don't have anything. I don't have anything. I don't have anything.
- [81:42]
Kamala Harris
I don't have anything.
- [81:42]
Megyn Kelly
I just don't have anything. I don't have anything. We don't have anything. Okay. We could have kept going because let's not forget when he thought that. That the dead congresswoman was alive. Where's Jackie? She was. She was just top of mind. She was top of mind. That's a Korean jumpier. Tried to tell us. And the obsessive note reading. Right. She could not do the job without reading for the first two years of it. She got a little better on that towards the end. Well, as she goes out, this is her closing message. Sat 20.
- [82:15]
Kamala Harris
The job you do.
- [82:16]
Megyn Kelly
Questioning leaders and holding the powerful accountable is important. The give and take that happens here.
- [82:23]
Anna Kasparian
She's reading incredibly healthy.
- [82:24]
Megyn Kelly
And it is part of our democracy. It is my sincere hope that I will. That I. While I may be the first for many things at this podium behind this.
- [82:35]
Anna Kasparian
Lectern, I am not the last.
- [82:37]
Megyn Kelly
I hope my presence at this podium has served as inspiration to many young.
- [82:41]
Anna Kasparian
Girls out there who took.
- [82:43]
Kevin Madden
Who look at me and look at.
- [82:46]
Megyn Kelly
This job and look at what we've been able to do and have a.
- [82:49]
Anna Kasparian
Similar background as me and.
- [82:52]
Megyn Kelly
And hopefully they can follow their dreams. Progress is not always a straight line, but we all must do our part.
- [83:00]
Anna Kasparian
In the words of Dr. Martin Luther.
- [83:01]
Megyn Kelly
King Jr. Whose birthday is a D.
- [83:03]
Anna Kasparian
Today, bend it towards justice and pay it forward.
- [83:10]
Megyn Kelly
Her closing message, Amala, is. I hope you've found me as inspirational as I find me and that the little girls of America look up to me. What do you make of that?
- [83:23]
Kamala Harris
And let's not forget, not just. Not all little girls, the little girls who look like me. Okay, so check your skin color first. Make sure that we look alike, and then we can relate on this. Yeah, I mean, she's patting herself on the back for her job. I don't know how well she. She did that job. She was really good at skirting questions. One thing I'm really gonna miss is the neon highlighter outfits. Like, I can't. Can't wait to see what outfits she wears out there sometimes. And her budding romance with. With Peter Doocy. I. I love that relationship. I loved watching that play out. I love the banter and the theater of it all. But I don't know that I'm gonna miss Karine Jean Pierre.
- [83:57]
Megyn Kelly
I mean, of course, what she's referring to, Link, is the fact that she's black and she's a lesbian. Like, this is what the left celebrates. That's, that's her history making role that she hopes everybody will find inspirational. Like, like lesbian children were growing up all over the country thinking, I'm never going to be press secretary because I'm a lesbian. I mean, it's just, so what are we in 1950?
- [84:21]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Once again, the left is more obsessed with skin color, race, gender than anybody I know on the right. I don't care what Kareem Jean Pierre looks like. I care that she sat up there and gaslit the American people for the last four years into thinking Joe Biden's fine. He's doing cartwheels in private. He's in great shape. All the while we are seeing with our own very eyes the guy is not doing well. So Karine Jean Pierre, I'm not gonna miss her. I hope the door doesn't hit her on her way out with her big binder. She should have spent less time doing Vogue photo shoots and more time preparing for those briefings because she would get up there and say a whole bunch of nothing.
- [84:57]
Megyn Kelly
It's amazing, like, how little she obviously knows. I don't think she knows that Nobel is a proper noun, that it's a man. It was an actual person. It was a family. And I don't think she unders. Like, I think she thinks it's actually no, like a noble. It's, it's a prize for being.
- [85:12]
Karine Jean-Pierre
We're noble people.
- [85:14]
Megyn Kelly
I don't, I don't think she knows. She said it over and over and over. Like, how humiliating, right? Anyway, okay, quick pause. We'll be back in one minute and I'm going to get Link's take on Mike Pence attacking rfkj. All right, stand by for that. I'm Megan Kelly, host of the Megan Kelly show on Sirius xm. It's your home for open, honest and provocative conversations with the most interesting and important political, legal and cultural figures. Today, you can catch the Megyn Kelly show on Triumph, a SiriusXM channel featuring lots of hosts you may know and probably love. Great people like Dr. Laura, Glenn Beck, Nancy Grace, Dave Ramsey, and yours truly, Megyn Kelly. You can stream the Megyn Kelly show on SiriusXM at home or anywhere you are. No car rental required. I do it all the time. I love the SiriusXM app. It has ad free music coverage of every major sport, comedy talk, podcast, and more. Subscribe now. Get your first three months for free. Go to SiriusXM.com MK show to subscribe.
- [86:20]
Kevin Madden
And get three months free.
- [86:21]
Karine Jean-Pierre
That's SiriusXM.com MKShow and get three months free.
- [86:27]
Megyn Kelly
Offer detailed details Apply. So link. You worked for rfkj and you are going to be very distressed to learn that a major adversary has emerged to his confirmation. He used to be the Vice President of the United States under Donald Trump, and his name is Mike Pence. His organization, Advancing American Freedom, is calling for senators to vote against RFKJ's nomination for health and Human Services Secretary over his past support for abortion. Access. The letter criticized Kennedy as being pro abortion. This is via Politico. Specifically over his past support for abortions later in pregnancy. This position is, quote, completely out of step with the strong pro life record of the first Trump administration. Are you scared? Are you shaking in the, in your boots? I mean, this is a powerful adversary.
- [87:19]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Absolutely not. Mike Pence, I'm sure he's a lovely person at times. We have mutual acquaintances. He does great work with Young America's Foundation. But it's my job to call it like I see it. And in this instance, Mike Pence looks like a smarmy slime ball. This is nothing but an attempt to get some press, to get some attention. A few days before Donald Trump's inauguration. Tell me this isn't some high school stuff. A few days before Trump is inaugurated, you release a statement trying to undermine his cabinet appointees. It is so obvious there is nobody who is going to fight harder for children in this country than Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. When we were out there on the campaign trail talking about seed oil, soil in general, dyes in our food, childhood diabetes, public health, there were other GOP challengers saying, we were just curating a vibe. We were a fringe campaign, we were a joke. But as it turns out, these are the top concerns for moms and dads across the country. Kids are sicker than they've ever been before. 90% of our healthcare cost, about $4 trillion, goes to chronic disease. So when doctors, when insurance companies, when the pharmaceutical industries see a sick kid come in, they hear cha ching, cha, ching, cha ching. And dollar signs for decades to come. And my issue with Mike Pence is this, advancing American freedom. Unlike other super PACs, unlike other 501c3s, they do not disclose their donors. So I'm not alleging that he's being influenced, but this is a fair question to say. Are you getting money through your organization from pharmaceutical companies? You were in charge of Operation Warp Speed. That is really your Wheelhouse. You have a lot of friends in the industry. His presidential campaign was also run by pretty swampy lobbyist. So I would question what his intentions are. And the next thing I'll say is this. Bobby is very reachable. He is notoriously reachable. The man always has his phone in his hand. If Mike Pence sincerely cared about this issue, if Mike Pence was sincere, which I don't think he is, look at the timing. He just wants press, he could have very well called Bobby and said, you know what? I have reservations about past comments you've made on X, Y and Z. He could have handled it man to man in private. And that's not what he did. He decided to put out the statement to get some press because he's still upset with Donald Trump. But what really bothers Mike Pence, what really bothers him is that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Is a real guy with grit and character. He's open about his flaws, warts and all. And he's going to be much more consequential in the history books than Mike Pence ever will be. And that's what's getting under his skin.
- [89:49]
Megyn Kelly
RFKJ is becoming like a superhero. I mean, he's, he's got, like, superstar. He's one of those people who, like, now he walks into an airport and everybody's like, I mean, he was, he was Persona non grata two years ago. You couldn't even platform him anywhere. And like, the transformation has been absolutely remarkable and akin to what we just discussed yesterday about how great things are already starting to happen, just with the anticipation of Trump being sworn in. Like, like the deal between the Israelis and Gaza, like, according to Pete, already seeing recruiting numbers go up in the armed forces, like the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports act passing in the house. Like, things are already starting to go in the right direction. We got another. It's a smaller piece, but as a mom myself, I love it. Where the FDA has now banned red dye number three from foods. They had it banned from makeup up because they recognized it was a carcinogen, but not from foods. Like, what sense does that make? And I have to say, I'll just stick with you on this link since you work for rkj. It's another thing that he's been jumping up and down about, but people have been dismissing him as a kook. And now what do you know, the FDA comes around to see it his way.
- [91:03]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Right? I mean, not to make this all about me. And let me preface this by saying I'm only Speaking for myself right now, I love Bobby, his family and close with some of his kids, his wife Cheryl, but I'm only speaking for myself right now. When we were on the campaign trail and speaking about these issues like the dyes in our food, the mainstream media. The mainstream media mocked us, laughed at us, called us a fringe campaign. We were taking bows and arrows. But we knew very deliberately these were top winning issues. And it's why In a recent YouGov CBS poll, RFKJ, as you call him, has the highest favorability of any incoming appointee from the Trump administration. Right. So it's the highest favorability. So it's not surprising that there are bows and arrows coming at him from Mike Pence and some of these swampy creatures. But when we traveled across the country, the moms and the dads, I will say, who came up at events saying, I have a sick child and I can't get answers. It was every single event I know. Cause I was signed in on all of his social media accounts. Thousands of comments and messages every single day. My child has diabetes and asthma. And the doctors say they can't figure out what's wrong. We are being mass poisoned by our food. And that's not hyperbole, right? I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I'm actually quite a boring person. But we are being mass poisoned by what we're ingesting. We have things in other countries that. We have things here that they don't have in other countries. So I'm not going to sit here and just defend Bobby all day long. But this is what it is.
- [92:22]
Megyn Kelly
No. Now they're going to have to find something else to color the cough syrup like beets, the way they do in Europe. Something edible that doesn't cause cancer. This is why I think it's so interesting, Amla, as we get ready for the RFKJ confirmation hearing, that the Democrats are in a tough spot because. Because first of all, his positions, when actually explained, are going to be very popular, very popular with most Americans when they actually hear him. And second of all, there is not a more effective advocate for said positions than this man who is extremely articulate and there's no one who will be better prepared on all. He has 70 years of living each one of these issues and debating them in court, in legal papers, with his critics, his harshest critics. He's not like a Democrat behind closed doors who never has to engage. So it's going to be actually, I think, potentially explosive and highly entertaining for the rest of us.
- [93:25]
Kevin Madden
Yeah.
- [93:25]
Kamala Harris
And I think they've already exhausted every single avenue of attack in Trump's first term. So I don't know how the media is going to be able to spin everything that this administration is doing when this is truly a bipartisan issue. I mean, we are all experiencing the sickness that is running rampant in this country. The high rates of the obesity of a chronic illness, the. The industry that the big pharma has become and how much it's become a staple in each of our lives. When you have a nation that is trying to answer childhood obesity rates with putting them on Ozempic, we clearly have a problem. And RFK is going to come in and just point out things that should be blatantly obvious to every single American. So I think there's going to be some initial media poll of calling him a conspiracy theorist and an anti vaxxer and trying to call out this connection that he wants to make between vaccines and autism. But once that dies down and he starts effectively working on everyday issues that every single American is struggling through right now, once our food gets better, once we start exercising more, once obesity rates start going down, once rates of chronic illness start going down, there's going to be nothing to say about this man.
- [94:29]
Megyn Kelly
So I do want to tell the audience that after Casey Means came on the show and I read her amazing book, Good Energy, and she's the. She and Cali Means are working with RFKJ on a lot of things. We did do what she recommended, which was get a carbon filter for our entire house. They, you know, if you have a big water tank in your basement or whatever, they basically just have to replace it with one that has a carbon filter. And so it's big. You know, you have to get one of those and it filters the water. But then on top of that, out of the drinking faucet, the main drinking faucet in the kitchen, we didn't do it on every, every sink. We got an RO filter. So the water that we drink, you know, most of the time we drink out of some other faucets too, also goes through the RO filter. And the water is so clean and tastes so good, and it gets rid of so many bad things that are in your water. I don't want fluoride in my water. And my friends at the Fifth Column mocked our FKJ for that. And I said, you just wait. It actually is a neurotoxin. Why is it in our way? We don't need it in our water. I think it's going to come out of the water and it should. And more and more states are starting to do it. Not to mention chlorine that's in there, a bunch of other minerals and metals and things that you don't need. And if you want to re infuse your water with certain minerals, you can. We chose not to do it, but anyway, I do feel like it's the beginning of a new day with him coming in, talking sense about our food, our agriculture, our medicine, our drugs. Like thank God, I'm sure he's going to be confirmed. We have somebody who's willing to say these things and is not owned by anyone. His confirmation hearing has not yet been set. It will be. He will be subjected to this horrible, painful cross examination that these people can come up with, but no one's gonna be able to lay a glove on him. Link.
- [96:12]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Absolutely not. I mean this man, he loves to argue. He's been an attorney for decades. He's argued massive cases. I mean, look at the Monsanto case, right? So one thing I know about Bobby is he is not stressing or scared about this confirmation hearing whatsoever. If you asked him right now, he would tell you verbatim. It's in God's hands, it's God's will. It's up to God. What's meant to be will be. And he genuinely believes that. And one thing about him also is he is fearless. He is not scared about bad press. He's not scared about being embarrassed, humiliated. They will throw everything in in the kitchen sink at him during this confirmation hearing. But if he can save one child in this country, then he knows it's all worth it.
- [96:52]
Megyn Kelly
Okay, I want to end with this because it's amazing. The iconic photo of Trump in his mugshot, right, which served as just a rallying cry for so many Americans who were incensed by the lawfare against him. Amala, you remember that mug shot, right? Well, now he has to. As he's about to be inaugurated for the second time, he needs an official presidential photograph. And last night it was revealed on X by chief photographer for the President Elect, Donald J. Trump, Daniel Torok. T O R O K Look at this.
- [97:26]
Kamala Harris
Oh my goodness.
- [97:28]
Megyn Kelly
It's amazing. He's effectively recreated the mug shot. As president I this says so much, doesn't it? Defiant, not afraid to remind you of what they put him through. And back, baby, what do you make of it, right?
- [97:53]
Kamala Harris
I mean it's absolutely iconic that he's done this. It's finally somebody getting the last laugh after everything that he's been subjected to. The tax on his family, the lawfare against him, the endless witch hunts, the media propaganda. I mean, it's just been absolutely endless. And the fact that he's even here to make it through to a second term and is willing to do that for this country has just been absolutely amazing. So to make that final shot look so close to that mugshot is simply iconic. And now he has these next four years to really, truly transcend everything and every single attack that anybody has ever made against him, including arresting him in this way.
- [98:28]
Megyn Kelly
It had to be intentional link, no?
- [98:32]
Karine Jean-Pierre
Oh, totally intentional. Daniel was a friend of mine, and he was texting me yesterday. He's like, check your inbox. Check your inbox. I'm like, why? Why? Why? And then he had tagged me in this picture. I'm like, this is sick. This is exactly what he needed to do. Reclaim that mug shot. All of the law fair against Trump, Trump, the millions, probably hundreds of millions of tax dollars that were spent trying to throw him in prison, and it did not work. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. He just came back stronger and won the election and a landslide and is on his way to the inauguration in a few days. So I love the picture. Trump knows good iconography, good imagery, and this was perfect.
- [99:05]
Megyn Kelly
I love it too. Well, thank you both so much for being here. Love to see you. And we are back tomorrow with Maureen Callahan. We'll see you then. Thanks for listening to the Megyn Kelly Show. No bs, no agenda and no fear.