The Megyn Kelly Show: Ep. 1174

Mamdanı vs. Cuomo, Michelle Obama’s New Whining, and Bombshell UFO Reporting
Date: October 17, 2025
Host: Megyn Kelly
Guest: Victor Davis Hanson

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a multi-pronged, high-energy critique of current US political and cultural currents, centering on three major topics: the New York mayoral race (Mamdani vs. Cuomo), the ongoing controversy over Michelle Obama’s comments and “victimhood” narrative, and emerging bombshell reporting on UFOs (“UAPs”). Megyn Kelly, joined by commentator Victor Davis Hanson, examines these issues with characteristic directness and skepticism toward progressive narratives, focusing on what they both see as hypocrisy, misplaced grievances, and a general undermining of traditional American values.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NYC Mayoral Race: Identity Politics and Ideological Posturing

Timestamps: 08:39–29:10

• The debate sees Zoran Mamdani, described as a “Muslim socialist” and presumed front-runner, attacking Andrew Cuomo for never visiting a mosque.
  • Megyn’s Take: Questions why mosque visits are now a litmus test in NYC politics. "Since when do American politicians have to go visit a mosque in order to be considered viable candidates for office in New York?" (04:47)
  • VDH: Argues Cuomo should have rebuffed "performance art" demands and calls both Mamdani and Cuomo's campaign tragic for NYC.

    “He could have said, I don't have to have a performance art appearance to tolerate everybody and treat everybody equitably... What I don't do is showboating and virtue signaling.” (11:13)

• Mamdani’s authenticity and cultural presentations (eating rice by hand, overt foreign pride) are derided as charades rather than genuine pluralism.
  • Charlie Kirk injects: “We in Western culture believe that our way of life is the best. We're better than Muhammadism... Assimilation is a necessity, not a suggestion.” (14:16)
  • VDH: Draws parallels between Mamdani's ascent and Barack Obama's early presidential persona—projecting unity while harboring divisive goals.
• Debate highlights:
  • Mamdani lands a punch: “What I don't have in experience, I make up for in integrity. And what you don't have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience.” (19:04)
• Mamdani’s previous calls to "defund the police" are questioned versus his current walk-back. Discussion centers on leftist candidates’ shifting messages to capture mainstream appeal while hiding or qualifying earlier radical statements.
  • Hanson invokes the Greek classicist defense: “My tongue said it, I didn't say it.” (23:22)
• Fiscal proposals (raising taxes on NY’s “top 1%”) are critiqued as naïve, with Kelly providing firsthand accounts of affluent residents fleeing NYC in anticipation and the dangers of betting on an “endless well” of rich people to fund initiatives. (26:07)
• Hanson predicts neo-socialists mimic those in South America by striking selective deals with compliant wealthy elites. (27:20)
• Larger critique: the inability for the NYC GOP to field serious moderate/conservative challengers, leading to continued progressive dominance and urban decay.

2. Virginia Attorney General Debate: Decay of Ethics & Double Standards

Timestamps: 29:10–47:42

• Jay Jones’s Scandal: Democrat AG candidate Jay Jones’ texts fantasizing about killing Republicans and their children, and his defiant “tripling down” on the sentiment.
  • Republican Jason Miyares highlights the moral incongruity and childhood familiarity within the Assembly as reasons Jones’s statements are particularly repugnant. (32:04)
  • VDH: Situates this as a symptom of the modern far-left’s capture of key offices (AG, prosecutor) for cultural influence, referencing George Soros’s funding strategies. (33:20)
  • Other issues raised: Jones’s reckless endangerment (116 mph driving), use of his own PAC for community service, lack of respect for rule of law.
  • Kelly: Notes the absence of real accountability, citing the lack of calls from Democrats for Jones to drop out—contradicting left-wing “silence is violence” doctrine. “Now they have a guy actually calling for the murder of Republicans and their children and no Democrat... has called for this guy to step down.” (47:42)
  • Joy Behar on The View: Incorrectly claims “Democrats denounced him,” which both Kelly and VDH call out as willful ignorance or misinformation. (48:53)

3. Letitia James, Victimhood, and Systemic Hypocrisy

Timestamps: 52:21–67:33

• Letitia James, NY AG, is criticized for a pattern of sanctimony and alleged legal misdeeds:
  • Accusations: Mortgage fraud, harboring fugitive relatives, hypocrisy in messaging and conduct. (56:57)
  • VDH: Criticizes James’s use of "victimhood" for political cover, ongoing manipulation of the legal system against Trump, and systemic leniency for those playing the race or identity card.

    "She's a perpetrator. She's a victimizer. She's not a victim." (60:52)

  • The theme recurs that affluent or privileged progressives are increasingly using their identity (race, religion, etc.) as both sword and shield, despite actual privilege.

4. Michelle Obama and "Perpetual Victimhood"

Timestamps: 67:33–98:50

• Michelle Obama’s recent podcast (Lewis Howes, May 2025) snippets are dissected:
  • She states: “I wasn't a great test taker... So all the scores said you don't belong at Princeton…And there were people who saw me, saw the color of my skin and said, you're aiming too high…” (79:57)
  • Kelly and Hanson argue Obama’s narrative is inverted: it’s actually thanks to her skin color she was granted Princeton admission and that her ongoing bitterness, despite extraordinary privilege, is exhausting and divisive.

    "No, the color of her skin is the reason she got into Princeton and got a lifetime of advantages that she's still living high on the hog from. But she's still bitter about it, Victor. Still to this day." (81:01)

  • Hanson: Data overwhelmingly support the lowering of standards for minority applicants—and that this has led to a wholesale watering-down and politicization of the university meritocracy.

    “There are people have always objected to athletes who can't do the work, but get exemptions or rich kids...But what she's saying is, well, I got in here and I found out that some of the legacies and athletes were no better qualified than I was. Well, yeah, that's true, but that's not a justification for it." (81:48)

  • Critique extends to other high-profile commentators (Sunny Hostin, The View) who maintain victimhood narratives despite wealth and education, and media manipulation of race/class narratives.
• The episode elevates an argument that America's institutions, once guided by the principle of a level playing field, now reward perpetual grievance and social identitarianism—ironically echoing the very exclusionary practices Civil Rights advocates once fought against.

5. Bombshell UFO Reporting: Fact or Fantasy?

Timestamps: 103:49–140:19

• New documentary (The Age of Disclosure) posits an 80-year governmental cover-up of contact with non-human intelligence, with top-level endorsements and interviews (Senator Rubio, Sen. Gillibrand, military insiders, etc.).
  • Trailer and testimonials suggest a “secret war” among nations for UFO technology; many claim to have witnessed “non-human beings.”
  • Kelly and Hanson, identifying as skeptics, are nevertheless more open than before. Hanson: “I’m now kind of 50/50. I’m just waiting to see something.” (108:00)
  • Firsthand accounts from military witnesses (Tim Burchett, Tennessee): "That thing was 14ft...it wasn't ours. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't ours." (110:39)
  • Discuss the possibility of advanced secret human technology (Chinese, Russian) as one explanation.
  • Segment covers claims from a new show (“American Alchemy”), alleging "Project Preserve Destiny" in which Americans were genetically modified in utero to communicate with aliens—a narrative dismissed by Kelly as “total bullshit,” tempered only by respect for Walter Kirn’s endorsement. (117:24)
  • Both express the need for hard evidence over anecdotes or classified explanations—unless something verifiable is presented to public scrutiny, disbelief will (and should) persist.
• Megyn’s Final Reflection: The UFO story’s momentum is real, but skepticism remains warranted. The common thread: skepticism toward all “elite,” secretive, or unaccountable authorities—be they in government, academia, or culture.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Megyn Kelly:
  "Since when do American politicians have to go visit a mosque in order to be considered viable candidates for office in New York?" (04:47)
• Victor Davis Hanson:
  “He could have said, I don't have to have a performance art appearance to tolerate everybody and treat everybody equitably. What I don't do is showboating and virtue signaling.” (11:13)
• Charlie Kirk:
  "We in Western culture believe that our way of life is the best. We're better than Muhammadism... Assimilation is a necessity, not a suggestion." (14:16)
• Zoran Mamdani:
  "What I don't have in experience, I make up for in integrity. And what you don't have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience." (19:04)
• Jason Miyares:
  “There is no cry like the cry of a mother that has lost her child. A prosecutor knows this... Jay Jones has never understood this because he's not a prosecutor, he's a politician trying to save his career.” (32:04)
• Victor Davis Hanson (on Michelle Obama/victimhood):
  "...you can see it puts enormous pressure on people. If an immigrant... plays the race victim card, this is one trajectory. If you don't and you say you're really happy to be in this safe, prosperous, secure country... it's a lot more difficult." (95:04)
• Michelle Obama:
  "I wasn't a great test taker. I was a great grade getter, but I wasn't good on sat. So I had good grades, not great scores. So all the scores said you don't belong at Princeton..." (79:57)
• Hanson (on UFOs):
  “If what they're saying is true, it remakes everything…” (119:25)

Important Segment Timestamps

• New York Mayoral Race/Mamdani vs. Cuomo: 08:39–29:10
• Virginia AG Race/Jay Jones controversy: 29:10–47:42
• Letitia James, victims, and legal hypocrisy: 52:21–67:33
• Michelle Obama’s Affirmative Action & Grievance: 67:33–98:50
• UFO/Bombshell Reporting & Skepticism: 103:49–140:19

Podcast Tone & Language

• Sharp, confrontational, and irreverent; no sacred cows.
• Frequent referencing of popular conservative talking points and historical/cultural allusions (especially by VDH).
• Satirical jabs mixed with serious critiques—particularly toward progressive politicians and media figures.
• Both Kelly and Hanson are skeptical, argumentative, and unsparing in their takedowns, but also curious and open to surprising evidence when it arises (notably with UFOs).

Summary

This episode ties together three seemingly disparate themes—urban politics, left-wing victimhood culture, and UFO disclosure—under a broad thesis of skepticism toward elite narratives and identity-based grievance. The conversation, with memorable soundbites, dives deep into the state of modern politics and cultural discourse, highlighting how identity is wielded for power, rules are bent or broken by the privileged, and how real answers—in everything from government to the supernatural—are increasingly elusive amidst the noise.

If you missed this episode, expect a whirlwind tour of today’s political-cultural trenches—with snark, dudgeon, and some genuine moments of reflection on truth, power, and the need for evidence.