The Megyn Kelly Show (Ep. 1235) - January 21, 2026
Trump Makes Greenland Case in Davos, and Explosive New Busfield Details
Guests: Tom Bevan, Carl Cannon, Andrew Walworth (RealClearPolitics), Dave Aronberg, Mike Davis (legal panel)
Main Theme and Episode Overview
In this episode, Megyn Kelly dives into two headline topics. In the first hour, the panel analyzes former President Donald Trump’s forceful, unconventional pitch at the Davos World Economic Forum for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, discussing the political, diplomatic, and cultural implications of his approach. The second hour features a detailed legal panel breaking down bombshell developments in the Timothy Busfield child sex abuse case, questioning the credibility of the accusers' parents and debating the impact on prosecution. A high-profile church protest incident in Minnesota, involving Don Lemon, is also dissected from legal and cultural angles.
I. Trump’s Greenland Push and Davos Speech
A. Trump’s Davos Appearance: Entertaining and Provocative
- [01:00–03:26] Megyn’s take:
Trump “mocked other world leaders...spared no one.” She describes him as “in rare form,” showcasing bombastic style and unapologetic rhetoric.
B. Trump’s Greenland Rationale
-
[03:26–04:20] Trump clip:
“All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland. And all we’re asking for is to get Greenland, including right title and ownership. Because you need the ownership to defend it. ...Psychologically, who the hell wants to defend a license agreement?” -
[08:17–09:27] Trump:
“No nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States. ...It’s not the reason we need it. We need it for strategic national security and international security.” -
[09:31–09:56] Trump:
“So we want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it. ...You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember.”
C. Panel Reactions: Is Trump Serious or Seeking a “Feather in His Cap”?
-
[10:56] Carl Cannon:
“I don’t believe any of it… I think Donald Trump wants a feather in his cap...for the same reasons he renamed the Kennedy center after himself.” -
[12:38] Megyn counters:
“Another word for it is true. It’s true.” -
[15:20] Andrew Walworth:
“Greenland is important, but it’s not that important… everything that we want to do in Greenland, we could do without acquiring the territory. ...He’s not on firm ground legally.”
D. Strategic and Political Stakes
-
[12:41] Megyn Kelly:
Europe is “turning into an authoritarian group of countries themselves… arresting people in Germany and the UK for thought crimes... wanting us to pay for your defense...Those days are over.” -
[17:15–18:09] Trump Speech:
“...so called dirty jobs and heavy industry should be sent elsewhere, that affordable energy should be replaced by the Green New scam, and that countries could be Propped up by importing new and entirely different populations from faraway lands, very foolishly followed.”
E. Windmills, Energy Policy, and American Power
-
[19:12] Trump:
“The more windmills a country has, the more money that country loses, and the worse that country is doing. China makes almost all of the windmills, and yet I haven’t been able to find any wind farms in China... They sell them to the stupid people that buy them.” -
[20:03–24:07] Panel banter:
Tom Bevan, Carl Cannon, and Megyn Kelly criticize wind power; Megyn says, “They barely get, like, the light in the studio on, and they’re an eyesore. And they’re killing the whales.”
F. Tariffs, Trade, and Trump’s Negotiating Style
-
[36:57–38:16] Trump describes pressuring Macron and France for better drug pricing:
“I said...your price is going to go up and our price is going to go down...because you’ve been screwing us for 30 years.” -
[41:56–43:21] Trump recounts raising tariffs on Switzerland:
“And she just rubbed me the wrong way, I’ll be honest with you. ...I made it 39%... all hell really broke out and I reduced it because I don’t want to hurt people.” -
[39:19–41:08] Legal debate:
Discussion on legality of Trump using tariffs as a foreign policy tool; Megyn predicts the Supreme Court will strike down Trump’s tariff regime.
G. Will the U.S. Get Greenland? Panel Bets
- [46:48] Tom Bevan: “I do not think that is going to happen… probably peg it at like a 20% chance.”
- [46:59] Megyn Kelly: “I say 80% chance by the end of term. Yeah, we’re going to get it.”
- [47:11] Carl Cannon: “I think it’s going to blow up on our face.”
- [47:38] Andrew Walworth: “I give it about a 33 and a third percent chance. ...some sort of agreement somewhere between statehood and where we are now.”
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- [03:26, Trump]: “You can’t defend it on a lease. ...Who the hell wants to defend a license agreement?”
- [19:12, Trump]: “Other than that, I think [windmills are] fabulous, by the way.”
- [41:56, Trump]: “She just rubbed me the wrong way...and I made it 39%.”
- [43:21, Trump]: “The United States is keeping the whole world afloat.”
II. Explosive Developments in the Timothy Busfield Case
A. Shocking Revelations about Accusers' Parents
-
[01:00–01:32; 89:50–91:10] Megyn Kelly:
The father is a “convicted fraudster... disbarred,” while the mother has “multiple civil judgments...for fraudulent and dishonest behavior,” including selling a Bentley without transferring the title and writing bad checks for gambling.“If all this is true... it's deeply problematic. This is as... as an officer of the court, where he has a duty to, you know, be an extra duty to be ethical and honest.” [89:50]
B. Legal Panel Analysis: How Does It Affect the Case?
-
[90:10–90:38] Guest (Dave Aronberg):
“The defense... is going to lean into the motive here for the kids to lie at the behest of their parents... the judge is more lenient to allow the defense to pursue motive than they would to allow the prosecution to expose prior bad facts about the defense. ...I think that it could come in because that’s how you have a fair trial.” -
[91:41] Boys’ initial denials played in court:
“Does Tim ever do that? No, he’s never touched me.” [Audio] -
Panel notes: It’s common for child victims to deny abuse at first.
C. Weighing Busfield's Guilt: Pattern Evidence
-
Prior allegations:
- 17-year-old girl received a settlement
- 28-year-old woman alleges sexual assault during a date
- 16-year-old girl reportedly molested at children's theater, her father (a therapist) confronted Busfield
- Actress Claudia Christian (then 26) alleges assault on set [111:59–113:44]
-
[116:37] Megyn Kelly:
“All of this look has me, I got the same questions you guys have about these parents. But Timothy Busfield is a creep and Melissa Gilbert is gross too because...she was out there trying to suggest that I downplayed the abuse of women...” -
[117:46] Mike Davis:
“Generally... you could not bring in propensity evidence...but as Dave talked about, you have MO evidence...generally with sex crimes...you can bring in propensity evidence. So this would all get admitted...it would be very damning for him if the jury heard this evidence.”
D. Prosecutors' Perspective
-
[100:22] Guest (Aronberg):
Not clear prosecutors would have known of parents’ fraudsters background; defense investigators usually find such things. -
[101:10] If he were the prosecutor:
“I would question the case. ...If I believe that because of this and other things that I could not get a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt, I wouldn’t file the case or I would dismiss it.”
III. Don Lemon, the Minnesota Church Protest, and the Law
A. Incident Recap
- Protests at a Minnesota church involving Don Lemon described as “an act of terrorism.”
- Legal discussion centers on whether the federal FACE Act or Ku Klux Klan Act apply.
B. Legal Arguments
-
[56:54] Mike Davis:
“They have all made it crystal clear that people who terrorize church services...are going to face federal criminal charges. ...slam dunk FACE Act violation...also a violation of the Ku Klux Klan Statute.” -
[60:48] Guest:
“The Ku Klux Klan act has to face the Supreme Court decision from 1983... Opposition to abortion did not equate to animus against women. So the Ku Klux Klan act did not apply.” -
[62:46] Don Lemon (clip):
“It is surprising to me...that they're not understanding now of the protesters is that they're doing the exact opposite of what Christianity is supposed to be about. ...So there is a certain degree of racism...entitlement...white supremacy.”
C. Panel Debate – Was There a Crime?
-
[69:24] Megyn Kelly (on FACE Act):
“Did they, by force, by threat of force, or by physical obstruction, intimidate or interfere with someone exercising their First Amendment right of religious freedom? ...I mean, to me, that is so clear. It's so clearly a yes.” -
[74:31] Guest:
“It’s gotta be something more than just chanting...they have to chant, sort of, we will burn this church or we will hurt you.” -
[75:11] William Kelly (protester clip):
Aggressively calls congregants “fake Christians,” rails at them for “doing nothing” for minorities and accuses them of “living real comfortable” while “children are dragged into concentration camps.” -
[76:34] Guest:
“Aggressive speech is protected unless it crosses the line into a true threat. I didn’t see a true threat of violence there.” -
[83:05] Mike Davis:
“Not only should he [Don Lemon] be put in federal prison for many, many years, he should be bankrupt... There needs to be no mercy.”
IV. Notable Quotes, Exchanges, and Colorful Moments
- [03:26, Trump]:
“You can’t defend it on a lease. ...Who the hell wants to defend a license agreement?” - [12:38, Megyn]:
“Another word for it is true. It’s true.” - [19:12, Trump]:
“The more windmills a country has, the more money that country loses.” - [47:11, Carl Cannon]:
“I think it’s going to blow up on our face, and Greenland’s going to end up as an independent country with a government that resembles Mamdani’s cabinet in New York City.” - [83:05, Mike Davis]:
“Don Lemon is a fucking monster.”
V. Timing & Segment Guide
- [01:00] - Trump at Davos and mockery of world leaders
- [03:26] - Trump’s Greenland remarks
- [08:17] - Further Greenland strategic reasoning
- [17:15] - Speech on European decline and energy
- [19:12] - Windmill critique
- [36:57] - Macron, France, and prescription drug negotiation
- [41:56] - Switzerland tariff story
- [46:42] - Will the U.S. acquire Greenland?
- [54:28] - Panel transitions to Minnesota church protest & Don Lemon
- [89:50] - Busfield case: parents of accusers and defense revelations
- [111:59] - Other abuse allegations against Busfield
VI. Tone and Style
The episode is characteristic of Megyn Kelly’s fast-paced, unsparing style: highly opinionated, sometimes combative, and laced with blunt humor. The legal panel provides sharp, occasionally explicit, analysis. Trump’s showmanship and his critics’ exasperation create a rollercoaster feel, with Megyn anchoring with deliberate provocations and editorial asides.
VII. Conclusion
This episode covers Trump’s brash foreign policy and rhetoric at Davos—particularly concerning NATO, Europe, and Greenland—showcasing the divisiveness of his strategies and the reaction of U.S. commentators. In the legal hour, it provides an unusually deep dive into the weaknesses and potential defense of Timothy Busfield in light of serious accusations against the credibility of his accusers’ parents, as well as the broader legal and cultural fights around protest in houses of worship in America.
This summary distills the full content and spirit of the podcast for listeners and non-listeners alike, offering the context, direct exchanges, and key timestamps for further exploration.
