The Megyn Kelly Show: AM Update 10/27/2025

Host: Megyn Kelly
Date: October 27, 2025
Episode Focus:
A fast-paced analysis of President Trump’s high-stakes Asia trip and emerging US-China trade developments; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ reluctant endorsement in the contentious NYC mayoral race; a harrowing California semi-truck crash linked to immigration and legal licensing failures; and major arrests in the spectacular Louvre jewelry heist.

1. Trump’s Asia Trip & US-China Trade Drama

• Main Story: President Trump embarks on a six-day, three-country tour of Asia, including a headline-making summit with China’s Xi Jinping amid fears of a new trade war.
• Key Trade Developments:
  • New Trade Deals: Trump celebrates new US agreements with Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia (03:01).
  • China Tensions: President set a November 1st deadline: either finalize a US-China deal or hit Chinese imports with 100% tariffs. China threatened to retaliate with restrictions on rare earth mineral exports.
  • Treasury Secretary Comments:
    • Scott Besant (03:29): “I believe we've reached a very substantial framework that will avoid that [the 100% tariffs] and allow us to discuss many other things with the Chinese.”
    • Besant underscores leverage Trump gave the US through tariff threats; not expecting tariffs or rare earth controls to activate (04:06). Talks projected to benefit “US Citizens, US Farmers, and our country in general.”
• Presidential Diplomacy:
  • Trump greeted with fanfare in Malaysia; participates in ASEAN Summit celebrations (02:19).
  • Next steps: Meeting Japan’s new (and first female) Prime Minister after audience with Emperor Naruto; major bilateral scheduled (04:18).
• Memorable Moment:
  • Trump joining locals in energetic tarmac dancing, “signature bald fists pumping in the air one after the other” (02:13).

2. NYC Mayoral Race: Jeffries' Muted Endorsement

• Background:
  • Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader, finally endorses Democratic candidate Zoran Mamdani just before early voting, after months of avoidance.
• Jeffries’ Statement:
  • “Zoram Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers... In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.” (05:04)
• Hesitation and Tensions:
  • Jeffries repeatedly admits he “doesn't really know” Mamdani, citing lack of personal connection and the heat of government shutdown (05:27, 06:20).
    • “Well, we don't really know each other.” (05:27)
    • “I've of course been on the road for the last several weeks.” (05:34)
  • On reasons for delay: “Last several weeks we've been immersed in the intensity around the government shutdown…” (06:20)
  • Takes aim at Trump: “Donald Trump represents an existential threat to the city of New York and beyond…” citing “the extreme assault ... on the economy, on health care, on farmers, on veterans, on law abiding immigrant communities, on due process, on the rule of law, and of course, on the American way of life itself.” (06:40)
• Controversies Shadowing Mamdani:
  • Concerns regarding Mamdani’s Muslim identity and connections to controversial community figures become focal points in the campaign’s final days (07:09).
  • Jewish voters upset over Mamdani’s stance on Holocaust resolution and refusal to denounce “globalize the intifada.”
  • Mamdani accused of insensitivity after discussing his family's 9/11 experience:
    • Mamdani (08:06): “I want to speak to the memory of my aunt who stopped taking the subway after September 11th because she did not feel safe in her hijab.”
  • JD Vance (Vice President) responds online: “According to Zoran, the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some allegedly bad looks.” (08:19)
  • Scott Jennings (CNN) criticizes Mamdani’s 9/11 commentary:
    • “…if you’re going to talk about 9/11 or invoke 9/11, you darn sure better start with the people who died in the Twin Towers... he made it about his experience and his aunt.” (08:56)

3. Immigration and Tragedy: California Truck Crash

• Incident Summary:
  • 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh (an Indian national, asylum seeker, entered country illegally in 2022) is accused of causing a deadly semi-truck accident in California after obtaining an interstate commercial driver’s license, killing 3 and injuring at least 4 (10:10–13:00).
  • Singh upgraded his license just a week before the crash, despite new federal rules aimed at preventing non-citizens with insufficient vetting from obtaining such licenses.
  • The incident aggravates tensions between the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Governor Gavin Newsom's administration.
• Official Reactions:
  • Newsom’s office blames the federal government for issuing work authorization and employment eligibility (12:00).
  • DOT Secretary Sean Duffy counters sharply:
    • Sean Duffy (13:05):
      • “Gavin Newsom has thumbed his nose at us. He's refused to comply with the rules... So one, I'm about to pull $160 million from California. And as we pull more money, we also have the option of pulling California's ability to issue commercial driver's licenses.”
      • “Gavin Newsom cares more about illegals getting commercial driver's licenses than he does the citizens of his own state and the safety of Americans. It's shameful. He's been lying about what he's been doing.”
  • Broader context: This follows another deadly crash in Florida involving a driver in the country illegally (13:50).

4. Louvre Heist Arrests: Details and Developments

• The Crime:
  • Daring theft at the Louvre: 4 thieves entered via a truck-mounted ladder, stole 8 priceless pieces (including Napoleon and French crown jewels, value: ~$102 million), and escaped on scooters (13:50).
• Arrests and Investigation:
  • Two suspects apprehended:
    • One, a man holding dual French-Malian citizenship, caught headed to Mali.
    • Another, with French-Algerian citizenship, arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport en route to Algeria.
  • Both from a “rough suburb of north Paris” and known for prior robberies (15:00).
  • Investigation involves over 100 detectives and traces of DNA, leading to the suspects (15:22).
  • Paris Prosecutor Laura Baku expresses optimism: “The amount of media coverage this organized robbery has received gives me a glimmer of hope that the perpetrators won’t dare to move the jewelry too far.” (14:15)
  • Ongoing search for two other suspects and missing jewels; speculation about possible inside help.

5. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On US-China Trade:
  • Scott Besant (03:29): “President Trump gave me a great deal of negotiating leverage with the threat of the 100% tariffs on November 1st, and I believe we’ve reached a very substantial framework that will avoid that and allow us to discuss many other things with the Chinese.”
• On New York Politics:
  • Hakeem Jeffries (06:20): “Donald Trump represents an existential threat to the city of New York and beyond because of the extreme assault…on the American way of life itself.”
• On CA Truck Crash & Immigration:
  • Sean Duffy (13:05): “Gavin Newsom cares more about illegals getting commercial driver's licenses than he does the citizens of his own state and the safety of Americans. It’s shameful.”
• On Louvre Heist:
  • Laura Baku (14:15): “The amount of media coverage this organized robbery has received gives me a glimmer of hope that the perpetrators won’t dare to move the jewelry too far.”

6. Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:39] Trump in Asia & US-China trade preview
• [03:29] Treasury Secretary details on China trade framework
• [04:18] Trump’s Japan visit plans
• [05:04] Jeffries’ endorsement of Mamdani (NYC mayoral)
• [06:20] Jeffries grilled on delay and Trump “existential threat” remarks
• [07:09] Mamdani’s candidacy controversies
• [08:06] Mamdani addresses post-9/11 personal impact
• [08:19–08:56] Political backlash to Mamdani’s remarks
• [10:10]–[13:00] Deadly California semi-truck crash and immigration/licensing debate
• [13:05] DOT Secretary Duffy threatens CA funding
• [13:50]–[16:00] Louvre heist update and suspect arrests

7. Summary

This episode delivers brisk, pointed updates and heated commentary on stories at the intersection of US politics, international relations, immigration policy, and criminal intrigue—true to Megyn Kelly’s signature tone: direct, skeptical, and combative.

• Trump’s Asia swing and the on-edge US-China trade landscape receive detailed coverage, including the tactical brinkmanship behind the scenes.
• Bleak divisions in Democratic politics come to the fore with the last-minute, reluctant Jeffries endorsement, underlined by deep discomfort over Mamdani’s candidacy.
• Immigration policy failures are spotlighted via a tragic California crash, fueling a rhetorical firefight between state and federal officials over accountability.
• The Louvre jewel heist adds a cinematic flourish, with dramatic details of the capture, escape, and ongoing mystery.
  For listeners seeking a concise, high-energy, and unsparing round-up of US and world affairs, this episode delivers.