The Megyn Kelly Show

AM Update – August 26, 2025

Theme:
This episode centers on President Trump’s sweeping executive orders targeting flag burning and cashless bail policies in cities with progressive criminal justice reforms. The episode also features reaction to rapper Snoop Dogg’s viral comments about LGBTQ representation in Pixar’s Lightyear. Host Megyn Kelly offers analysis, context, and opinions from legal and political figures, exploring the controversies and implications for free speech, criminal justice, and cultural debates.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Executive Order on Flag Burning

• Overview:
  President Trump signed an executive order instructing the Department of Justice to prosecute those involved in flag burning, attempting to circumvent longstanding Supreme Court protections for this form of protest. The order also directs the administration to take action against non-citizens who desecrate American flags.
• Legal Context:
  • The Supreme Court's 1989 Texas v. Johnson ruling protects flag burning as expressive conduct under the First Amendment. (04:16)
  • Justice William Brennan’s majority opinion emphasized free discourse:

    “The way to preserve the flag's special role is not to punish those who feel differently about these matters. It is to persuade them that they are wrong.” (02:01, quoting Brennan)

  • Even conservative icon Justice Antonin Scalia sided with the majority, famously stating:

    “If it were up to me, I would put in jail every sandal-wearing, scruffy bearded weirdo who burns the American flag. But I am not King.” (02:34, quoting Scalia)

• Details of the Executive Order:
  • DOJ is to investigate and prosecute criminal acts associated with flag burning, when not in violation of the First Amendment.
  • Instances that may violate other laws (open burning, property destruction) should be referred to state/local authorities.
  • Immigration consequences for flag desecration by non-citizens. (04:16)
• President Trump’s Justification:
  Trump claims flag burning "incites riots," justifying criminal penalties, but the executive order lacks specifics about penalties.

  “What happens when you burn a flag is the area goes crazy... There are some that are going crazy for doing it, there are others that are angry, angry about them doing it.” (05:26, Trump)

• Legal and Political Reactions:
  • Opinions split: Some conservatives dismiss the order as unnecessary; others see it as an infringement on civil liberties.
  • Commentator Jesse Kelly posts:

    “I am a free American citizen and if I ever feel like torching one, I will. This is garbage.” (07:19, quoting Jesse Kelly)

  • Legal expert Bob Korn-Revere (FIRE) argues:

    “It’s a long standing principle of First Amendment law that someone in a crowd who doesn’t like what a speaker is saying doesn’t get to silence them by threatening to be disruptive.” (08:35, Revere)

  • Constitutional scholars anticipate court challenges, emphasizing previous defeats for similar legislation and the historical increase in flag burning after attempted bans.

    “…We had more examples and instances of flag burning in protest of passing that law than had existed in the previous 200 years…” (10:28, Revere)

2. Executive Actions Against Cashless Bail

• Overview:
  Trump issued orders to end cashless bail in Washington, D.C., and to penalize other cities with similar policies by revoking federal funds. Megyn Kelly connects this to a broader Trump administration crackdown on “soft on crime” policies.
• Details and Justifications:
  • Will Scharf, White House Staff Secretary:

    “Cashless bail policies are a key driver of the disorder we see on city streets all over America… Catch and release system allows criminals to keep going back out onto the street and reoffending.” (12:41, Scharf)

  • Trump:

    “That was when the big crime in this country started. When somebody kills somebody, they go in, don’t worry about it, no cash… They thought it was discriminatory to make people put up money because they just killed three people lying on a street, any street, all over the country. Cashless bail. We’re ending it.” (14:13, Trump)

  • Attorney General Pam Bondi supports with anecdotes:

    “A mother, a single mom whose house was burglarized and the defendant got out on cashless bail, went back the next night and burglarized her house again. That’s why this is so important.” (14:47, Bondi)

• Background Context:
  • Kelly explains that bail reform was adopted in deep blue states and cities to address disparities for low-income offenders, but critics argue it increases recidivism and crime.
• Looking Forward:
  Federal intervention is expected to trigger legal challenges, especially as the Trump Administration eyes cities like Chicago, New York, and Baltimore for further crackdowns. (15:11)

3. Snoop Dogg Critiques LGBTQ Themes in Pixar’s "Lightyear"

• Incident:
  Snoop Dogg went viral for candidly recounting his discomfort watching Lightyear with his grandson, confused by a lesbian storyline.
• Quote:

  “We watching it and the lady when they like and she had a baby with a woman while my grandson in the middle of the movie like Papa Snoop. How’d she have a baby with a woman? She a woman? Oh, I didn’t come in for this. I just came and watched the goddamn movie. … Like y’all throwing me in the middle of that. I don’t have an answer for.” (15:56, Snoop Dogg)

• Reactions:
  • Some fans and outlets express disappointment and outrage, painting Snoop as unexpectedly “unaccepting.”
  • AV Club’s sarcastic coverage:

    “Snoop Dogg is opening up about a terrifying experience he had at the movies… Snoop Dogg couldn’t handle a children’s movie, and a Pixar one at that, for one specific reason. Lesbians Lord.” (16:30)

  • Kelly notes similar viewer backlash when Lightyear, the first Pixar film to feature a same-sex kiss, sparked controversy and bans in several countries, and bombed at the box office compared to previous, “normal” (in Kelly’s words) films.
  • Comparison:
    • Lightyear: $226M global gross
    • Toy Story 4: $1B+ global gross

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Justice William Brennan (quoted):

  “The way to preserve the flag's special role is not to punish those who feel differently about these matters. It is to persuade them that they are wrong.” (02:01)

• Justice Antonin Scalia (quoted):

  “If it were up to me, I would put in jail every sandal-wearing, scruffy bearded weirdo who burns the American flag. But I am not King.” (02:34)

• White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf:

  “It charges your Department of Justice with investigating instances of flag burning and then… instructs the Department of Justice to prosecute those who are engaged in these instances.” (03:58)

• President Trump:

  “What happens when you burn a flag is the area goes crazy… it incites riots at levels that we’ve never seen before.” (05:26)
  “We’re ending it [cashless bail].” (14:13)

• Jesse Kelly (conservative radio host):

  “I would never in a million years harm the American flag, but a president telling me I can’t has me as close as I’ll ever be to lighting one on fire.” (07:19)

• Bob Korn-Revere (FIRE):

  “…someone in a crowd who doesn’t like what a speaker is saying doesn’t get to silence them by threatening to be disruptive. The law and the First Amendment require that the government protect the speaker, not the person who threatens violence.” (08:35)

• Snoop Dogg:

  “Like y'all throwing me in the middle of that. I don’t have an answer for.” (15:56)

Segment Timestamps

• [00:09–11:16]: Flag burning controversy, Trump’s executive order, legal commentary
• [12:41–15:11]: Cashless bail crackdown, federal funding threats, Trump/Bondi remarks
• [15:47–16:30]: Snoop Dogg’s Pixar comments, online backlash, box office context

Memorable Moments

• Scalia’s unexpectedly pro-flag burning Supreme Court quote (02:34)
• Bob Korn-Revere’s forceful First Amendment defense (08:35–10:28)
• Jesse Kelly’s “as close as I'll ever be to lighting one on fire” response (07:19)
• Snoop Dogg’s confusion and discomfort with "woke" Pixar narratives (15:56)

Summary:
Today’s episode highlights sharply divisive executive actions from the Trump White House around free speech and criminal justice, drawing in legal precedent, political reactions, and a viral dose of cultural commentary via Snoop Dogg’s Pixar experience. The tone is often skeptical and unsparing, blending legal analysis with the host’s signature bluntness and cultural critique.