The Megyn Kelly Show: Episode 1203 – Real Story Behind Hegseth "Double Tap" Reporting, Katie Miller vs. Abby Phillip Throwdown, with Mark Halperin
Aired: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Megyn Kelly and guest Mark Halperin (host of "Next Up") dissect major political stories dominating the headlines post-Thanksgiving. The show dives into controversies surrounding military actions under the Trump administration, Republican party infighting, Minnesota’s Somali fraud scandal, divisive media moments, and the shifting standards of cable news and political campaigns. The tone is candid, irreverent, and unapologetically skeptical—hallmarks of Kelly’s on-air style.

Key Themes & Topics

• The "Seditious Six" video and subsequent scrutiny of alleged illegal military orders
• Reporting around Pete Hegseth's "double tap" and congressional investigations
• Republican disunity and slipping poll numbers
• Scandal and fraud in Minnesota’s government programs for Somali immigrants
• The Katie Miller vs. Abby Phillip/ Jennifer Welch media fight
• Left/right hypocrisy in media standards for “hate speech”
• Special elections, Democratic campaign styles, and “crazy” candidates

Segment Breakdown

1. Holiday Banter, Setting the Stage

[00:57–09:33]

• Megyn shares holiday updates, Christmas décor, and the mood in her Connecticut studio.
• Lighthearted talk about favorite Christmas music and TV specials.
  • Memorable exchange about classic claymation and "Christmas in Connecticut."
  • Quote:
    “Even my boys had to admit I’m allowed to play [Christmas carols] now.” – Megyn Kelly [02:31]

2. The "Seditious Six" and Hegseth 'Double Tap' Allegations

[09:33–14:14]

• Democrats' video urging the military to disobey illegal orders gets media pushback for its vagueness.

• The media scrambles to find an actual example—settling on Pete Hegseth’s alleged order to strike a Venezuelan drug boat twice, which may have killed survivors.

• Trump's denial of the incident; Republican-led congressional inquiries follow.

  Quote:
  “These lawmakers got embarrassed repeatedly thinking that the media would just go along with this…” – Megyn Kelly [01:03]
  “If what I just said is true…that would be clearly illegal, because you’re not allowed to kill people who survive an initial strike…” – Megyn Kelly [14:00]

3. Legal, Moral, and Political Fallout of the Strike

[14:14–21:21]

• Halperin outlines tension: the importance of stopping drug smuggling vs. staying within American legal/moral tradition.

• The rise of executive power, and Congress abdicating its war-declaring role.

• “There are Republicans now who are unhappy with Kash Patel, who are Trump Republicans. There are Trump Republicans who are unhappy with Donald Trump right now, some about the economy, some about Epstein.” – Mark Halperin [29:19]

  Quote:
  “No American, whatever you call your politics, should be complacent about presidents…using their power and disregarding Congress’s role…” – Mark Halperin [15:27]

4. Republican Anxiety, Cabinet Criticism & Poll Numbers

[18:03–21:21]

• Mark highlights two key areas of Republican discontent: principle (overreach, legality) and politics (economy, bad polling).

• Criticism of cabinet members like Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, and Kristi Noem—even in right-leaning media.

• Continuing drop in Trump’s poll numbers; Gallup at a “second term low” approval rating.

  Quote:
  “You just… it’s not liberal media. It’s people who love the president… to put out there there’s problems.” – Mark Halperin [25:19]

5. Internal GOP Leaks & the Right’s Own “Deep State”

[25:36–30:05]

• Megyn speculates negative stories about Trump-aligned cabinet members may come from Bush-era Republicans, not anti-Trumpers.
• Halperin: unhappiness with Trump is not just from “old guard” but also “Trump Republicans.”
• Legal setbacks for Trump’s appointments (e.g., Alina Haba); the judge’s background matters in Trump-era courts.

6. The Double Standard: Obama’s Drone Strikes vs. Trump Era Scrutiny

[30:05–34:19]

• Montage of Obama administration making light of drone strikes contrasted with current outrage over alleged Trump/Hegseth strike.
• Obama’s “I’m really good at killing people” comment and killing of Americans abroad without due process.
  • “Didn’t see a six-senator video saying, oh, disobey illegal orders…” – Megyn Kelly [32:19]
  • “That’s just not the way America is.” – Mark Halperin [34:19]

7. The Reality of Pardons & Legal Risk for Military Officers

[36:01–40:28]

• Megyn and Mark clarify: Trump (or any president) can pardon those prosecuted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
• Even if charges stick, soldiers aren’t “really facing any actual legal jeopardy… not under this administration.”
  • Quote: “If you read the Washington Post story carefully… it leaves room for the notion that the order… was not a direct order from Hegseth…” – Mark Halperin [36:34]
• Megyn: expresses little sympathy for drug traffickers killed in the raids.

8. Women’s March & ICE: Weaponizing Emotion

[40:28–44:21]

• Play and critique of Women’s March ad depicting ICE officers as family-destroying villains.
• Halperin: “This isn’t some rogue operation disconnected from democracy. This is what [Trump] voters wanted to see happen.” [43:05]

9. Minnesota’s Somali Fraud Scandal – Bi-Partisan Shame

[44:45–51:41]

• Massive welfare fraud involving Somali immigrant community—Democrats in Minnesota admit they “didn’t want to appear racist,” so billions kept flowing despite obvious signs of fraud (some funding terrorism).
• Mark: “The Democrats don’t really have an explanation for how this happened, except to say… we didn’t want to appear racist.” [47:06]
• New York Times coverage signals how serious the scandal is; political implications for Gov. Tim Walz.

10. Tim Walz on Defense & Trump’s Rhetoric

[56:48–61:25]

• Megyn roasts Gov. Walz’s evasive defense and damage control on national news.
• Trump calls Walz “retarded” on Truth Social; Walz condemns the slur, Trump doubles down.
  • “Yeah, I think there’s something wrong with him.” – Donald Trump [59:57]
  • Megyn: “He’s not even sorry. Not sorry. He’s just… not sorry.” [60:44]
• Discussion of word policing:
  • “I think that’s why Trump says it, too—people are sick and tired of being told what they can and cannot say.” – Megyn Kelly [61:25]

11. Migrant Crime, National Guard Shooting, & Immigration Policy

[61:56–67:46]

• Reaction to shooting of two National Guardsmen by an Afghani national in D.C.—Trump’s harsh rhetoric on immigration; pledges to halt all migration from “third world” countries.
  • “Shoot it in my veins. That’s exactly what I voted for.” – Megyn Kelly [64:01]
• Mark Kelly (D) says this is about “not wanting brown people in our country.” The panel dismisses this as ineffective, stale rhetoric.

12. Katie Miller vs. Abby Phillip: Media Double Standards Brawl

[67:46–76:20]

• Katie Miller (Stephen Miller’s wife) confronts Abby Phillip (CNN) over tolerating hate speech against conservatives, especially relating to Jennifer Welch’s on-air invective.
• Playback of Welch’s unhinged, expletive-laden attacks on conservatives, Jews, and Trump officials—unchallenged by Phillip.
• Megyn: “She let her call him a Nazi Jew and just said, I can’t speak to what his motivations are. What a cowardly dodge…” [76:02]

13. The Nepotism Problem: Dylan Douglas’s CNN Faceplant

[76:20–84:44]

• Coverage of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones’s son Dylan getting “humiliated” during a CNN pundit segment; parents vow to boycott CNN.
• Megyn and Mark criticize thin-skinned Hollywood elite, lament lack of debate and the expectation of kid-glove treatment for offspring.
  • “If this is the standard… My [dog] Strudwick is available, he can respond to commands which the Democrats love.” – Megyn Kelly [103:56]

14. Politics of Personality: “Crazy” Candidates and Watchability

[84:44–99:42]

• Focus on the Tennessee special election: Afton Bane, a dramatic/viral Democrat, is running a strong campaign in a deep red district.
• Mark argues the “watchability” quotient—antics, drama, even “crazy”—is becoming an asset in modern politics, regardless of substance.
  • “She’s very good on camera in controlled situations…” – Mark Halperin [98:40]

15. Wrap-Up: Trump’s Path Forward, Economic Perceptions, and Final Election Chatter

[101:05–end]

• Speculation on Trump’s comeback: Mark says State of the Union will be crucial to shape economic perceptions.
• Discussion of the competitive Tennessee race, special election dynamics, and what it all means for the parties going into ‘26.

Notable & Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• On double standards:
  “Didn’t see like a six senator video saying, oh, disobey illegal orders in case you get one to take out the Jonas Brothers.” – Megyn Kelly [31:48]

• On the Minnesota fraud scandal:
  “Massive ripoff of the taxpayers. Massive. And a massive repudiation of the notion that you can just hand out government money and hope for the best, that people aren't going to commit fraud.” – Mark Halperin [48:10]

• On the left's media hypocrisy:
  “If they want to be the police of who can speak on the national town square, then they need to recognize they've got policing to do in their backyard as well.” – Mark Halperin [73:55]

• On Trump’s unapologetic style:
  “He’s not even sorry. Not sorry. He’s just… not sorry.” – Megyn Kelly [60:44]

Memorable Moments

• Megyn’s fiery monologue on the fake debate over the Hegseth strikes: “I object to even the scrutiny of this, because it’s all manufactured… It does feel a little, you know, Stalin’s right hand man, like, show me the man and I’ll show you the crime.” [37:05]

• Live fact-check on presidential pardons for military offenses.

  • Megyn quickly confirms the legal scope of pardons after on-air debate [44:21].

• Raw takedown of Abby Phillip’s handling of hate speech on CNN:
  “She let her call him a Nazi Jew and just said, I can’t speak to what his motivations are. What a cowardly dodge…” [76:02]

• Irreverent banter about ‘center parts’ and Hollywood bubble:
  “Pick a side first of all, right. Show up like a man with a real opinion and a real part.” – Megyn Kelly [83:18]

• Pop culture and campus politics mashup:
  “They are breeding, breeding anti-Semites, in my opinion, at Brown University. It’s disgusting.” – Megyn Kelly [79:22]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:57] Holiday check-in and Christmas spirit
• [09:33] "Seditious Six" video controversy
• [14:14] Double tap reporting—legality and politics
• [18:03] GOP internal strife and poll anxiety
• [25:36] Right-wing leaking and Bush-era vs. Trump-era GOP
• [30:05] Obama’s drones vs. Trump/Hegseth strikes double standard
• [36:01] Pardons and real legal jeopardy for military officers
• [44:45] Minnesota Somali fraud scandal
• [56:48] Tim Walz responds to criticism
• [61:56] National Guard shooting, Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric
• [67:46] Katie Miller v. Abby Phillip throwdown; media double standards
• [76:20] Media nepotism: Dylan Douglas on CNN
• [84:44] The rise of “watchable” (sometimes unhinged) political candidates
• [101:05] Trump’s path forward, economic message, final election notes

Tone and Language

The conversation is brisk, sarcastic, often biting—but balanced by Halperin’s methodical Beltway insights. Kelly freely expresses strong personal opinions, sometimes with black humor or frank irreverence.

Summary Takeaways

• The Left and Right are both guilty of hypocrisy about accountability—whether for military actions, leaks, or media standards.
• Government incompetence and corruption is bipartisan, but the public (and media) often only see what they want to.
• The “crazy” or ‘watchable’ candidate is now an asset—substance is optional, packaging is king.
• Trump’s political strength remains immigration, while economic anxiety and party infighting threaten Republican dominance.
• Legacy media’s double standards and tolerance for hate, depending on source, remain glaring—and fuel outsider critique.

This episode is a savvy, unvarnished look at the state of American politics and media at the end of 2025, through the lens of two veteran insiders—equal parts entertaining and unsettling.