Trump Torches UN In Front of World Leaders, Routh Guilty, Kamala Back on The View: AM Update 9/24

Summary

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The Megyn Kelly Show

Episode: Trump Torches UN In Front of World Leaders, Routh Guilty, Kamala Back on The View: AM Update 9/24
Date: September 24, 2025
Host: Megyn Kelly (SiriusXM)

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Episode Overview

In this AM Update, Megyn Kelly brings listeners up to speed on a dramatic day in political news:

• President Trump’s fiery and unscripted speech at the UN, including personal jabs at the institution
• The guilty verdict and courtroom chaos in the trial of would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh
• Vice President Kamala Harris’s tense return to “The View,” confronting a moment widely blamed for her 2024 election loss
• The looming government shutdown standoff
• Insights on voter sentiment and political figures

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. President Trump’s Dramatic UN General Assembly Appearance

Arrival Fiasco & Security Controversy

• Escalator Breakdown: Upon arrival, President Trump and First Lady Melania were stranded on a broken escalator at the UN, with technical malfunctions also affecting the teleprompter ([03:32]-[04:41]).
  • UN Response: Claimed a safety mechanism was inadvertently triggered.
  • Criticism of Secret Service: "The stalled escalator with President Trump and First Lady Melania stuck on it, was a classic setup for an assassination hit. Yet the Secret Service barely noticed and didn't pull POTUS and FLOTUS off the suddenly stopped stairs." (Susan Crabtree, [03:32])
  • Secret Service is investigating the incident.

Trump's Speech: Scathing Critique of the UN

• Trump was forced to deliver his remarks using a paper copy due to a teleprompter malfunction.

• Major Quotes:

  • “All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle and then a teleprompter that didn’t work. These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter. I realized that the United Nations wasn’t there for us... What is the purpose of the United Nations?” – Donald Trump ([04:41])
  • “For the most part, at least for now, all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up. It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war... The only thing that solves war and wars is action.” – Donald Trump ([04:41])

• Central Criticism: The UN’s failure to address key world conflicts, over-spending, and “creating” new problems, especially mass migration and adherence to green energy mandates.

Mass Migration & Funding Allegations

• Trump accused the UN of funding illegal migration into the US ([06:05]).
  • "The UN is supposed to stop invasions, not create them and not finance them. You're destroying your countries..." – Donald Trump ([06:05]-[07:00])

The “Green Energy Scam”

• Trump ridiculed renewable energy initiatives and climate policies.
  • Quote: “Those big windmills are so pathetic and so bad, so expensive to operate and they have to be rebuilt all the time and they start to rust and rot... If you don't get away from the green energy scam, your country is going to fail.” ([07:19])

Ukraine-Russia War: Notable Shift

• After meeting with Zelensky, Trump called Russia a "paper tiger" and mused that Ukraine could not only retake all its territory but “maybe even go further than that” ([08:11]).

  • “Putin and Russia are in big economic trouble and this is the time for Ukraine to act.”

• On US support: “The US will continue selling weapons to NATO and NATO can do what they want with them.”

• On trust in Putin: “I’ll let you know in about a month.”

• On Russian aircraft over NATO territory: “NATO countries should shoot down Russian military aircraft.” When asked if US would support—“It depends.”

Viral Macron Moment

• French President Macron got stuck behind a security barrier in NYC and turned to President Trump for help; was forced to walk to the French Embassy, snapping selfies along the way ([10:42]-[11:01]).

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2. Trial and Conviction of Ryan Routh: Attempted Trump Assassin

• Ryan Routh found guilty on all five counts, including attempted assassination ([11:01]).
  • Routh’s reaction: Attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen as the verdict was read, had to be subdued by marshals.
  • Notable moment: His daughter in court, pleaded with him not to self-harm.
  • Routh faces life in prison; sentencing set for Dec. 18.
  • Trump’s reaction: "Congratulations to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Tad Blanche and the entire DOJ team on the conviction in Florida of the person who attempted an assassination on my life." ([11:01])

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3. Government Shutdown Looms: Trump vs. Democrats

• Budget Crisis: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer refused to support what they call a “dirty spending bill.”

• Trump’s Response: Claims Democrats demand over $1 trillion in new spending for issues like “free health care for illegal aliens,” “transgender surgery for minors,” and “dead people on the Medicaid rolls” ([13:42]).

  • “They’re threatening to shut down the government of the US unless they can have over $1 trillion in new spending... allow men to play in women’s sports and essentially create transgender operations for everybody.”
  • Trump says he’ll negotiate only if Democrats “get serious about the future of the nation.”

• Progressive Strategy: Ezra Klein in NYT advocates for Democrats to force a shutdown to get attention ([14:54]).

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4. Kamala Harris on The View: Revisiting “the Blunder”

Flashback to 2024 Blunder

• Original misstep: When asked what she would have done differently than President Biden, Harris replied, "There is not a thing that comes to mind..." ([16:01])
  • This answer was quickly weaponized by the Trump campaign. Analysts and pundits often tied her 2024 loss to this moment.

Revisiting the Moment

• Sunny Hostin: Directly confronted Harris about the widespread view that her answer cost her the election ([16:33]).

  • Sunny: “Do you think that moment tipped the election?”

  • Harris: “No. No.” ([17:00])

  • Reflection: Harris admitted she misunderstood voters’ desires to see differences between her and Biden and didn’t want to appear critical.

    • “I’m a loyal person and I didn’t fully appreciate how much people wanted to know there was a difference between me and President Biden…,” ([17:15])

  • Megyn Kelly’s tone: Sarcastic and critical of Harris, suggesting Harris blamed voters for misunderstanding.

Harris’s 2028 Prospects & Public Perception

• Harry Enton, CNN: “...In October of 2024, she was minus 5 points... But now she's at minus 13... She's 37 points underwater with independents... If you can't win independents, you can't win the election.” ([18:13])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trump on the UN:
  “What is the purpose of the United Nations? ...all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up. It's empty words, and empty words don’t solve war.” — Donald Trump ([04:41])

• On Green Energy:
  “Those big windmills are so pathetic and so bad, so expensive to operate and they have to be rebuilt all the time... The environmentalists refuse to acknowledge that.” — Donald Trump ([07:19])

• On Ukraine:
  “...Ukraine, with the help of the EU, is in a position to, quote, win all of Ukraine back in its original form, end quote.” — Megyn Kelly relaying Trump's statement ([08:11])

• On Democrats and Spending:
  “They’re threatening to shut down the government of the US unless they can have over $1 trillion in new spending to continue free health care for illegal aliens...” — Donald Trump ([13:42])

• Kamala Harris’s infamous answer:
  “There is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of and I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.” — Kamala Harris ([16:01])

• On Harris’s current standing:
  “Among the overall electorate, she is not well liked at this particular point. The American people, they don’t want this. They don’t want her. ...she is way, way, way underwater. She is definitely swimming with the fishes.” — Harry Enton, CNN ([18:13])

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• Intro and Lead Headlines: [00:32]–[01:07]
• Trump’s Escalator Incident & UN Speech: [03:32]–[08:11]
• Russia/Ukraine War Shift: [08:11]–[10:41]
• Macron’s NYC Embarrassment: [10:42]–[11:01]
• Ryan Routh Verdict & Courtroom Drama: [11:01]–[12:47]
• Government Funding Showdown: [12:48]–[14:54]
• Kamala Harris on The View & Campaign Self-Reflection: [15:52]–[17:46]
• Harry Enton on Harris’s Ratings: [18:13]–[18:55]

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Overall Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode is punchy, fast-paced, and critical, especially toward the UN, Democrats, and Vice President Harris. Megyn Kelly blends hard news with commentary, providing listeners with clear opinions and sarcasm—especially when assessing Harris and Democratic strategies. Trump’s performance at the UN occupies the core of the update, with major implications for US foreign policy and domestic politics.

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Transcript

[ExxonMobil Spokesperson]

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[Megyn Kelly]

Good morning, everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Wednesday, September 24, 2025, and this is your AM update.

[Donald Trump]

Not only is the UN not solving the problems it should, too often, it's actually creating new problems for us to solve.

[Megyn Kelly]

President Trump delivering blunt remarks to the UN General assembly on mass migration, climate change and more would be Trump assassin Ryan Routh. Guil on all counts. His stunning reaction in court after the verdict.

[Sunny Hostin]

Do you think that moment tipped the election?

[Kamala Harris]

No. No.

[Megyn Kelly]

Kamala Harris returns to the View, attempting to rewrite the history of one of her biggest blunders. Oh, joy. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update. The flu does not wait, and neither should you. When sickness hits, you don't want to be scrambling for medication. You want to be ready. You want peace of mind, knowing your family is protected. And that's where all family pharmacy comes in. These guys make it simple to stock up before you need it. So when the flu or a virus or any illness comes, you already have the treatments on hand. Right now, Ivermectin and mebendazone are 25% off, starting at just 2 bucks a capsule. Plus save another 10% with code MEGAN10. They've got over 200 medications to choose from. Antibiotics, hydroxychloroquine, antivirals, NAD methylene blue and more. They even offer emergency kits with essential medications. So you're prepared for anything. Just order online. They connect you with licensed doctors to get your prescriptions and ship your medications straight to your door. So convenient. Go to allfamilypharmacy.com Megan and use code Megan10. Again, that's allfamilypharmacy.com megan. Use the code Megan10 to get your discount when you check out. Protect your family, be prepared and stay safe. President Trump delivering fiery remarks in front of the UN General assembly yesterday morning, taking aim directly at the UN itself. But first, upon arriving, his escalator broke down, then a teleprompter malfunction, forcing the president to deliver remarks off a paper copy. Press secretary Caroline Levitt later sharing on X an article from UK paper the Times last week in which the paper reported, quote, to mark Trump's arrival, UN Staff members have joked that they may turn off the escalators and elevators and simply tell him they ran out of money so he has to walk up the stairs. Since taking office in January, the administration working to revamp US Foreign aid programs, cutting billions in funding and canceling thousands of contracts across the government. Levitt calling for an investigation, saying if someone intentionally stopped that escalator, that person needs to be fired. A UN spokesperson responding, quote, the safety mechanism was inadvertently triggered by someone who was ahead of the president on the escalator. Video of the moment does show a few people ahead of the president and first lady on the escalator first, though it's unclear who they were and whether what the UN says happened is true. The Secret Service also taking heat. Real Clear Politics investigative reporter Susan Crabtree, who covers the Secret Service posting on X quote, the stalled escalator with President Trump and First Lady Melania stuck on it, was a classic setup for an assassination hit. Yet the Secret Service barely noticed and didn't pull POTUS and FLOTUS off the suddenly stopped stairs. Crabtree continues, quote, sources in the Secret Service community are very concerned about what they witnessed from fellow agents today when President Trump was stalled and vulnerable. It's a similar critique to the Secret Service's delayed response in getting Trump off stage after a bullet grazed his ear on July 13th of last year. Press Secretary Levitt disclosing late last night the Secret Service is investigating the matter. The escalator incident combined with the faulty teleprompter only adding fuel to President Trump's speech, taking aim at the very existence of the United Nations.

[Donald Trump]

I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United nations offering to help in finalizing the deal. All I got from the United nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle and then a teleprompter that didn't work. This is these are the two things I got from the United Nations. A bad escalator and a bad teleprompter. I realized that the United nations wasn't there for us. That being the case, what is the purpose of the United Nations? The UN has such tremendous potential. I've always said it, but it's not even coming close to living up to that potential. For the most part, at least for now, all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up. It's empty words, and empty words don't solve war. The Only thing that solves war and wars is action.

[Megyn Kelly]

That sentiment echoing the President's UN speeches from the first administration, largely rejecting globalism as a failed experiment. Mr. Trump hitting on a variety of topics, but mostly focusing on what he believes are existential threats to Western society, open borders and religious like adherence to so called green energy policies. The President accusing the UN of partly funding mass migration into the US not.

[Donald Trump]

Only is the UN not solving the problems it should, too often it's actually creating new problems for us to solve. The best example is the number one political issue of our time, the crisis of uncontrolled migration. It's uncontrolled. Your countries are being ruined. The United nations is funding an assault on Western countries and their borders. In 2024, the UN budgeted $372 million in cash assistance to support an estimated 624,000 migrants journeying into the United States. What took place is totally unacceptable. The UN is supposed to stop invasions, not create them and not finance them. You're destroying your countries. They're being destroyed. Europe is in serious trouble. They've been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody's ever seen before.

[Megyn Kelly]

President Trump touting his administration's work sealing the border and encouraging other countries to, especially in Europe, to do the same. Trump's next target, the green agenda. Mr. Trump ridiculing its sacred tenets from windmills to carbon footprints, calling it the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.

[Donald Trump]

Energy is another area where the United States is now thriving like never before. We're getting rid of the falsely named renewables. Those big windmills are so pathetic and so bad, so expensive to operate and they have to be rebuilt all the time and they start to rust and rot. And I'm telling you that if you don't get away from the green energy scam, your country is going to fail. So all of these countries are working so hard on the carbon footprint, which is nonsense, by the way. It's nonsense. And if we had the most clean air, and I think we do, other countries like China, which has air that's a little bit rough, it blows. And no matter what you're doing down here, the air up here tends to get very dirty because it comes in from other countries where their air isn't so clean. And the environmentalists refuse to acknowledge that.

[Megyn Kelly]

The president then spending the day meeting with heads of several other countries, including Argentina, the EU officials from the Middle east and the president of Ukraine after his meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. President Trump dramatically shifting his message about the Russia Ukraine war, calling Russia a paper tiger, saying Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years, a war that should have taken a real military power less than a week to win. Mr. Trump for the first time saying Ukraine, with the help of the eu, is in a position to, quote, win all of Ukraine back in its original form, end quote, which has been Ukraine's goal from the start, but one Mr. Trump previously has made clear he does not view as realistic. On Tuesday, President Trump going so far to suggest Ukraine could also, quote, who knows, maybe even go further than that. The president continuing, quote, putin and Russia are in big economic trouble and this is the time for Ukraine to act. President Trump saying the US Will continue selling weapons to NATO and that NATO can, quote, do what they want with them. When asked if he still trusts Mr. Putin, Mr. Trump replying, I'll let you know in about a month. As for the recent Russian jets and drones flying over Poland, Romania and Estonia, testing NATO's defenses, President Trump saying NATO countries should shoot down Russian military aircraft, asked if the US would support them. Mr. Trump saying, it depends. Mr. Zelensky's take. President Trump is slowly seeing that Putin's words are, quote, far away from the truth. Democrats and independents continue to favor US Support for Ukraine militarily and otherwise, as do traditional Republicans. An August 2025 Gallup poll shows a majority of Republicans, however, 69%, favor ending this war quickly, even if it means Ukraine ceding territory. MAGA aligned Republicans are the least enthusiastic about providing more aid to Ukraine. Sometimes world leaders really are just like us. A now viral video showing French President Emmanuel Macron stuck behind pedestrian barriers in New York City Monday night ahead of President Trump's arrival for UN festivities. With intersections frozen and thousands waiting as NYPD held traffic. President Macron apparently growing impatient. French media outlet Brut reporting Mr. Macron's own motorcade was stuck behind one of the barriers when he exited his vehicle, imploring an NYPD officer to let him cross. I'm sorry, I'm the president.

[Donald Trump]

I'm really sorry.

[Megyn Kelly]

It's just that everything's in frozen right now. There's a border kick coming right now.

[Donald Trump]

If you don't see it, Let me cross.

[Megyn Kelly]

Mr. Macron then appearing to enlist some backup from President Trump.

[Donald Trump]

How are you? Guess what? I'm waiting in the street because everything.

[Megyn Kelly]

Is present for you. Mr. Macron. Been there. That call went nowhere. Instead, cameras capturing President Macron hoofing it to the French embassy, posing for pictures with fellow pedestrians along the way. 59 year old Ryan Ruth found guilty on all five charges against him related to his attempt to assassinate then candidate Trump on his West Palm beach golf course last year. Ruth appearing to attempt to stab himself in the neck with a pen as the verdict was read. Fox News reporting. Four marshals then carrying Ruth out of the courtroom, shackling his waist and ankles before returning him to the courtroom. Ruth's daughter then reportedly shouting out to her father, urging him not to do anything to himself and saying she would get him out of there. The daughter then seen on video hurrying away from the courthouse. The jury deliberating for less than three hours before delivering guilty verdicts on all five charges, including the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate. Ruth is due back in court Dec. 18 for sentencing. He faces up to life in prison. President Trump posting to Truth Social quote, congratulations to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Tad Blanche and the entire DOJ team on the conviction in Florida of the person who attempted an assassination on my life. Coming up, President Trump and Democrat leaders in a showdown as the government funding deadline looms again. And Kamala Harris returns to the View almost a year after her disastrous appearance as President Trump is settling into his new administration. One of the top Democrats in Congress aiming to undermine the Trump agenda is Democrat Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. And according to our sponsor, the Electronic Payments Coalition, Senator Durbin has a new plan, a government takeover of your credit card. Today, Americans have thousands of choices in credit cards, but they say Senator Durbin's plan will result in less competition and less security, which means more risk for your credit and your identity. You can learn more for [e-mail] and you could consider telling your senators to stop Dick Durbin's government takeover of your credit card before it's too late. President Trump may have signed the big beautiful bill to pay for his second term agenda into law, but that doesn't mean his annual budget is funded. That's its own fight and it's not going well. The president on Tuesday canceling an upcoming meeting with Democratic leadership to negotiate on a stopgap funding measure ahead of the October 1st government shutdown deadline. Over the weekend, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sending President Trump a joint letter demanding a meeting, writing they will not support a, quote, dirty spending bill that continues what they call a Republican assault on health care. With no power to do anything other than block Senate votes from reaching the floor. Democrats appearing to lay the groundwork for a government shutdown. Mr. Trump yesterday on Truth Social seeming to call the bluff, writing the demands by the minority radical left. Democrats are unserious and ridiculous. Quote, they're threatening to shut down the government of the US unless they can have over $1 trillion in new spending to continue free health care for illegal aliens, a monumental cost. Force taxpayers to fund transgender surgery for minors, have dead people on the Medicaid rolls, allow illegal alien criminals to steal billions of dollars in American taxpayer benefits, try to force our country to again open our borders to criminals and to the world, allow men to play in women's sports and essentially create transgender operations for everybody. The president going on to say he looks forward to meeting with Democrats if they get serious about the future of the nation. As the deadline looms, calls growing on the left urging Democrats to force a shutdown in order to generate political traction. Progressive journalist Ezra Klein writing for the New York Times earlier this month, quote, right now, Democrats have no power, so no one cares what they have to say. A shutdown would make people listen. Senate Republicans need seven Democrats to join in passing a continuing resolution. The last time around. Senator Schumer caved at the 11th hour, passing the CR drawing heavy criticism from within his own party. Former Vice President Kamala Harris joining the View on Tuesday, promoting her new book, wallowing in her 2024 election loss and attempting to rewrite the history of one of her most catastrophic campaign blunders. A little Flashback here to October 8, 2024, four weeks until election Day. The vice president appearing in friendly territory. The View where she was asked what was supposed to be a softball question by co host Sunny Hostin.

[Sunny Hostin]

Well, if anything, would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?

[Kamala Harris]

There is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of and I've been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.

[Megyn Kelly]

Not the answer America was hoping to hear, apparently, as Democrats winced. The Trump campaign quickly turning that answer into a campaign ad. Many 2024 postmortems pointing directly to that moment as the clearest indication that she did not know what she was doing and she was about to fail. Yesterday, Sunny Hostin appearing somewhat emotional, asking Ms. Harris about that moment and you.

[Sunny Hostin]

Say, quote, there is not a thing that comes to mind.

[Megyn Kelly]

Yeah, end quote.

[Sunny Hostin]

You write you had no idea. You just pulled the pin on a hand grenade in the moment. I do. The Trump campaign weaponized your answer against you. My question and some, including James Carville and Jake Tapper, point to that answer as a turning point in your candidacy do you think that moment tipped the election?

[Kamala Harris]

No. No.

[Megyn Kelly]

Good. Cause Sunny doesn't want to take the blame. Oh, we know. According to the former veep then, she simply wasn't aware that voters were curious about what she personally believed as candidate for President of the United States.

[Kamala Harris]

I'm a loyal person and I didn't fully appreciate how much people wanted to know there was a difference between me and President Biden. I thought it was obvious and I didn't want to offer a difference in a way that would be received or suggested to be a criticism. And I thought I was making the point. And I. And I realize now that I didn't fully appreciate how much of an issue it was.

[Megyn Kelly]

You see, it's our fault. It's our fault if we didn't know what was going on inside that bizarre head of hers. Despite her repeated statements that 2028 is not on her radar, many speculating that another shot at the White House is in the works for Ms. Harris as she steps back into the spotlight. Chief data analyst at cnn, Harry Enton, crunching the numbers, finding that absence from the campaign trail is not exactly making voters hearts grow fonder.

[Harry Enton]

Well, let's take a look at her net favorable ratings nationwide. You know, back In October of 2024, she was minus five points. Not exactly great, but pretty close to the zero mark, right? Pretty close to even. But now down under she goes, she's at minus 13 points. That's an 8 point drop SA since the general election among the overall electorate, she is not well liked at this particular point. The American people, they don't want this. They don't want her. And get this, she's 37 points underwater with independence. If you can't win independence, you can't win the election. And the bottom line is with those in the center electorate, those who are the most up for grabs, she is way, way, way underwater. She is definitely swimming with the fishes.

[Megyn Kelly]

And not just any fishes, but the catfish, the ones who swim at the very bottom of the water. Love that Harry Antin. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here for the Megyn Kelly show live on Sirius XM Triumph channel 111 at noon east on YouTube.com MeganKelly and on all podcast platforms.

[ExxonMobil Spokesperson]

With my job, I can't drink during the week. Weekends are a different story.

[Kamala Harris]

Ugh.

[Megyn Kelly]

After eight hours, this I have earned my wine. You know what I'm saying?

[ExxonMobil Spokesperson]

My family is a lot. It takes me four beers just to hang out with them.

[Oregon Health Authority Representative]

Binge drinking isn't all college kids doing cake stands? Oregonians in their 30s and 40s binge drink at close to the same rates as younger people, raising our risk for long term health problems. [e-mail] an OHA initiative.