Trump's Newsy First Cabinet Meeting, Afghanistan Withdrawal Accountability: AM Update for 2/27

Summary

The Megyn Kelly Show: Trump's Newsy First Cabinet Meeting, Afghanistan Withdrawal Accountability – AM Update for 2/27, 2025

Host: Megyn Kelly
Release Date: February 27, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, Megyn Kelly delves into President Donald Trump's inaugural Cabinet meeting, the administration's stance on the Afghanistan withdrawal, ongoing GOP budget negotiations, and significant shifts within the Washington Post. The episode provides an in-depth analysis of key political maneuvers, policy decisions, and their implications on both domestic and international fronts.

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President Trump's Directive on Federal Workforce Reduction

Timestamp [00:09]

President Trump issued a stern warning to federal employees regarding fraud and abuse within government agencies. He directed all agency heads to prepare plans for a significant reduction in the federal workforce.

• Donald Trump: "Those million people that haven't responded, though, Elon, they are on the bubble. Maybe they're going to be gone. Maybe they're not around. Maybe they have other jobs, maybe they moved and they're not where they're supposed to be. A lot of things could have happened." [00:09]

Key Points:

• The Office of Personnel Management mandated agency heads to submit workforce reduction plans by March 13th.
• Department Head Responsibility: Accountability for employee responses falls on department heads.

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Accountability for the Afghanistan Withdrawal

Timestamp [00:26] - [08:42]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, emphasizing a comprehensive review to hold those responsible accountable.

• Pete Hegseth: "We're doing a complete review of every single aspect of what happened." [00:26]
• Pete Hegseth: "We're taking a very different view, obviously, than the previous administration and there will be full accountability." [07:02]
• Donald Trump: "If it were me making the decision, I would fire every general involved." [07:19]
• Donald Trump: "We're first. They were second or third. ... They are selling 777,000 rifles, 70,000 armor plated ... This is 70,000 vehicles we had there and we left it for them. I think we should get it back." [08:05]

Key Points:

• The withdrawal resulted in:
  • 13 service members killed.
  • 40 service members gravely wounded.
  • Abandonment of thousands of Afghani allies and substantial military equipment.
• Accountability: Only Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller faced repercussions, while Trump vows broader accountability.
• Military Equipment: Concerns over the sale of abandoned U.S. military equipment by Afghan forces.

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Trump's First Cabinet Meeting and Elon Musk's Involvement

Timestamp [01:37] - [02:52]

President Trump conducted his first Cabinet meeting, which was notably attended by Elon Musk, despite Musk not being a cabinet member. Musk addressed questions regarding government payroll anomalies.

• Elon Musk: "We think there are a number of people on the government payroll who are dead...some people who are not real people, they're literally fictional individuals that are collecting paychecks." [01:58]
• Donald Trump: "President Trump issuing a warning that some kind of pulse check must be done." [02:52]

Key Points:

• Government Payroll Review: Efforts to identify non-responsive or fictitious federal employees.
• Pulse Check Directive: Emphasis on verifying the legitimacy and responsiveness of federal employees.

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US-EU Trade Tensions and Potential Tariffs

Timestamp [03:08] - [04:31]

President Trump signaled plans to impose a 25% tariff on European Union imports, aiming to address a $300 billion trade deficit. The EU responded by indicating readiness to negotiate, potentially easing existing tariffs on American cars.

• Donald Trump: "The European Union was formed in order to screw the United States. That's the purpose of it." [03:37]
• Donald Trump: "They think we can add a 25% tariff. But it's a serious move to shake things up." [Implied in discussion]
• Dick Durbin: (Ad Segment) – Not relevant to content.

Key Points:

• Trade Deficit: Highlighting the significant imbalance favoring the EU.
• EU's Response: Willingness to consider more comprehensive deals, including tech regulations and defense spending.
• Potential Outcomes: Possibility of reduced tariffs on American automobiles as part of negotiations.

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Tariffs on Canada and Mexico Over Fentanyl Trafficking

Timestamp [03:47] - [04:49]

President Trump addressed the imminent 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, linking them to efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking.

• Donald Trump: "It's right now very hard to come through the border... We've lost millions of people due to fentanyl." [04:31]
• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: Clarified that tariffs could be paused if Mexico and Canada demonstrate significant reductions in fentanyl trafficking.

Key Points:

• Fentanyl Crisis: Emphasis on the deadly impact of fentanyl trafficking on the U.S.
• Tariff Leverage: Using tariffs as leverage to enforce stricter border controls and reduce drug trafficking.
• Conditional Tariffs: Potential suspension of tariffs based on evidence of successful mitigation by Canada and Mexico.

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Ukrainian Deal and NATO Discussions

Timestamp [05:09] - [06:49]

President Trump discussed ongoing negotiations with Ukraine, emphasizing the recovery of U.S. funds and rejecting Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO.

• Donald Trump: "We're going to get our money back and we're going to get a lot of money in the future." [05:09]
• Pete Hegseth: "He [Trump] is doing the job of a diplomat and he is, of course, the diplomat in chief of the president." [06:06]
• Donald Trump: "We're not going to touch it now... We're doing very well with Russia, Ukraine." [07:02]

Key Points:

• Financial Recovery: Aims to reclaim funds previously mismanaged by the Biden administration.
• NATO Stance: Firm opposition to Ukraine's potential NATO membership, attributing Russian aggression to NATO expansions.
• Sanctions on Russia: Maintains that sanctions will remain in place during negotiations, countering claims about setting dangerous precedents.

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GOP Budget Negotiations: Tax Cuts and Spending Reductions

Timestamp [08:42] - [12:26]

House and Senate Republicans are embroiled in negotiations to finalize a budget that aligns with Trump’s economic agenda, focusing on tax reductions and significant spending cuts without impacting Medicaid.

• Donald Trump: "We're not going to touch it now. We are going to look for fraud... people that shouldn't be on people that are illegal aliens and others criminals." [11:31]
• Elon Musk: "We will push back against the reckless Republican budget until it's buried deep in the ground." [12:26]
• Donald Trump: "Never to rise again." [12:40]

Key Points:

• House Budget Plan: Proposes up to $2 trillion in spending cuts and $4.5 trillion in tax cuts over a decade.
• Senate Concerns: Argues that $4.5 trillion in tax cuts is insufficient, complicating negotiations.
• Medicaid Protections: Trump firmly opposes cuts to Medicaid, instead focusing on eliminating fraud and abuse within the program.
• Legislative Challenge: The looming March 14th deadline places intense pressure on Republicans to reconcile differences and pass the budget to avoid a government shutdown.

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Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act

Timestamp [09:03] - [16:33]

The Senate Majority Leader is set to bring the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act to the floor, aiming to codify President Trump's executive orders regarding gender definitions in sports.

• Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville: Introduced the bill multiple times, now seeking support across party lines.
• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: Confirms that the budget lacks Democratic support.
• Public Opinion: 79% of Americans back measures preventing biological males from competing in female sports.

Key Points:

• Bill Provisions:
  • Defines sex based on biological sex at birth.
  • Requires federally funded schools to prohibit males from participating in girls' sports.
• Senate Strategy: Requires 60 votes for cloture to overcome a filibuster, necessitating support from at least seven Democrats.
• Trump's Stance: Committed to signing the bill into law upon passage.

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Changes at the Washington Post Under Jeff Bezos

Timestamp [08:42] - [16:33]

Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, announced a significant overhaul of the newspaper’s opinion section, focusing solely on personal liberties and free markets.

• Jeff Bezos: "We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars, personal liberties and free markets." [09:03]
• Jeff Stein, Chief Economics Reporter: "If Bezos tries interfering with the news side, I will be quitting immediately." [09:03]
• Kara Swisher, Tech Reporter: Criticizes Bezos, stating, "He is doing this out of fear of the consequences for his other business interests." [09:03]

Key Points:

• Opinion Page Transformation: Shift towards promoting specific ideological pillars, excluding opposing viewpoints.
• Editorial Backlash: Criticism from within the newsroom, highlighting concerns over editorial independence and journalistic integrity.
• Subscriber Decline: The Post has experienced a significant loss of subscribers, dropping from 3 million in 2021 to under 500,000.
• Business Interests: Bezos's other ventures, including Amazon, Whole Foods, and Blue Origin, are speculated to influence his decisions at The Washington Post.

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Conclusion

Megyn Kelly's AM Update provides a comprehensive overview of President Trump's early actions in his administration, highlighting critical areas such as federal workforce reductions, accountability for the Afghanistan withdrawal, and trade policy shifts. The episode also scrutinizes the legislative challenges within the GOP budget negotiations and covers the controversial transformation of The Washington Post's opinion section under Jeff Bezos. Through notable quotes and detailed discussions, the episode offers listeners a nuanced understanding of the current political landscape and its broader implications.

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For those who missed the episode, this summary encapsulates the essential discussions and key takeaways from The Megyn Kelly Show's February 27, 2025, update.

Transcript

[Megyn Kelly]

Good morning, everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Thursday, February 27, 2025, and this is your AM update.

[Donald Trump]

Those million people that haven't responded, though, Elon, they are on the bubble.

[Megyn Kelly]

President Trump warning federal employees he's serious about identifying fraud and abuse as his administration issues a directive to all agency heads. Prepare plans for a massive reduction in workforce.

[Pete Hegseth]

We're doing a complete review of every single aspect of what happened.

[Megyn Kelly]

Defense Secretary Secretary Pete Hegseth promises accountability at last for the botched Afghanistan withdrawal that resulted in 13 dead service members. House and Senate Republicans fight it out on the Hill to work out a budget that cuts taxes, lowers spending, and doesn't touch Medicaid. But can they actually pull that off? With the deadline to a shutdown looming, the showdown is just getting started. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

[Dick Durbin]

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[Megyn Kelly]

President Trump opening up his first Cabinet meeting to the press yesterday morning. Plenty of issues covered, from foreign to domestic. Elon Musk, not in the Cabinet, was in attendance. President Trump handing him the floor early on to take questions on Doge. Mr. Musk was asked if there was a timeline in place for next steps on the what did you do last week Email.

[Elon Musk]

I think that email perhaps was best interpreted as a performance review, but actually it was a pulse check review. Do you have a pulse? Do you have a pulse? And two neurons. So if you have a pulse and two neurons, you can reply to an email. This is, you know, I think not a high bar. But what we are trying to get to the bottom of is we think there are a number of people on the government payroll who are dead, which is probably why they can't respond. And some people who are not real people, they're literally fictional individuals that are collecting paychecks. Well, somebody's collecting paychecks on a fictional individual. So we're just literally trying to figure out, are these people real, are they alive and can they write emails which I think is a reasonable expectation.

[Megyn Kelly]

Department heads are ultimately responsible for how their employees are to respond, though. Mr. Trump issuing a warning that some kind of pulse check must be done.

[Donald Trump]

I'd like to add that those million people that haven't responded though, Elon, they are on the bubble. Maybe they're going to be gone. Maybe they're not around. Maybe they have other jobs, maybe they moved and they're not where they're supposed to be. A lot of things could have happened.

[Megyn Kelly]

Yesterday morning, the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees government employees, sent a letter to all agency heads ordering them to, quote, undertake preparations to initiate large scale reductions in force, end quote. The plans are due no later than March 13th. President Trump eyeing a new tariff target, the European Union, saying the details will be released at a later date, but his administration is looking at 25%.

[Donald Trump]

Let's be honest, the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States. That's the purpose of it. And they've done a good job of it. But now I'm president, what will happen.

[Elon Musk]

If these countries where the EU retaliate?

[Donald Trump]

They can't. I mean, they can try, but they can't.

[Megyn Kelly]

Mr. Trump citing a $300 billion trade deficit. The EU trade commissioner responding quickly that they're ready to do a deal, potentially reducing their 10% tariff on American cars. Politico reporting, quote, the EU is prepared to consider a much bigger deal with Trump that could potentially include tech regulatory issues and certain non trade concerns, such as EU member states increasing their spending on defense, end quote. From the EU over to North America. President Trump addressing the Tuesday deadline to implement 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico over fentanyl trafficking.

[Donald Trump]

They've been good, but that's also due to us, mostly due to us. I mean, it's very hard. It's right now very hard to come through the border. But look, the damage has been done. We've lost millions of people due to fentanyl. It comes mostly from China, but it comes through Mexico and it comes through Canada.

[Megyn Kelly]

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick later clarifying, if Mexico and Canada can prove they've done an excellent job cutting down on fentanyl trafficking, then Mr. Trump may extend the pause on tariffs. President Trump also announcing the latest development on the Ukrainian deal, including a visitor to the White House tomorrow.

[Donald Trump]

We're going to solve a lot of problems. We're doing very well with Russia, Ukraine. President Zelensky is going to be coming on Friday. That's now confirmed. And we're going to be signing an agreement which will be a very big agreement. The previous administration put us in a very bad position, but we've been able to make a deal where we're going to get our money back and we're going to get a lot of money in the future. And I think that's appropriate because we have taxpayers that are shouldn't be footing the bill.

[Megyn Kelly]

Fox News reporting. Prior to The Cabinet meeting, Mr. Zelensky, quote, vowed to resolve the issue around NATO, saying he is looking to either join the alliance or something similar. But NATO entry is fully off the table, according to President Trump. Mr. Trump affirming the Russians claims that repeated talks of Ukrainian entry into NATO provoked the invasion to begin with. Vice President J.D. vance chiming in to chide the media for criticizing the negotiations.

[Pete Hegseth]

Every single time the president engages in diplomacy, you guys preemptively accuse him of conceding to Russia. He hasn't conceded anything to anyone. He's doing the job of a diplomat and he is, of course, the diplomat in chief of the president.

[Megyn Kelly]

United States Mr. Trump saying sanctions on Russia would not be lifted during the negotiation and pushing back on claims that allowing the Russians to keep any Ukrainian territory sets a dangerous precedent with China.

[Donald Trump]

Oh, okay. You try and take it away, right? We're going to, we're going to do the best we can. We're going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides. But for Ukraine, we're going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much back as possible.

[Megyn Kelly]

The president declined to share any specific concessions he would like to see from Russia. The Afghanistan withdrawal getting a lot of airtime in the Cabinet meeting from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was seated just to the left of the president.

[Pete Hegseth]

We're doing a complete review of every single aspect of what happened with the botched withdrawal of Afghanistan and plan to have full accountability. It's one of the first things we announced at the Defense Department for that reason, sir, we're taking a very different view, obviously, than the previous administration and there will be full accountability.

[Megyn Kelly]

The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in 13 service members killed and 40 more gravely wounded in a suicide attack on Abbey Gate. Thousands of Afghani citizens who helped US Forces were abandoned, billions of dollars worth of military equipment left behind, and Bagram Air Force Base left vacant under the Biden administration. The only official who faced any accountability for the disastrous withdrawal was Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller, who went viral in a video criticizing the administration for the chaos. President Trump telling reporters he will not direct Secretary Hegseth on what to do, but he says if it were him making the decision, he would fire every general involved. The military equipment left behind, a persistent point of controversy for the president.

[Donald Trump]

Afghanistan is one of the biggest sellers of military equipment in the world. You know why they're selling the equipment that we left. We're first. They were second or third. Can you believe it? They're selling 777,000 rifles, 70,000 armor plated. Many of them were armor plated trucks and vehicles. 70,000. If you think of a used car lot, the biggest one in the country, I would say J.D. if somebody had 500 cars, that would be a lot. This is 70,000 vehicles we had there and we left it for them. I think we should get it back.

[Megyn Kelly]

Mr. Trump has instructed Secretary Hegseth to study the issue. Coming up, House and Senate Republicans trying to work out a budget that cuts taxes, lowers spending and doesn't touch Medicaid. And a major vibe shift at the Washington Post. Rocking corporate media.

[Dick Durbin]

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[Megyn Kelly]

A tough budgeting process underway on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The House voting by a very slim margin 217 to 215, to pass a budget plan that is now being weighed by the Senate. The House plan is a framework laying out priorities but not setting binding budget terms. Not yet. It's an outline beginning the incredibly tedious process of designing and negotiating a budget. This one calls for up to 2 trillion in spending cuts over a decade and up to 4.5 trillion in tax cuts. The Senate side already taking issue with the blueprint, allowing only 4.5 trillion of cuts in taxes is too low a ceiling to make the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent negotiations further strained by promises from President Trump that Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for low income Americans, will not be cut. However, House Republicans are calling for 880 billion in cuts to come from the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid. The New York Times reports even if that committee cut everything that's not health care down to zero, it would still mean more than 600 billion would need to be cut from Medicaid. President Trump commenting on concerns about cutting.

[Donald Trump]

Medicaid and I have said it so many times, you shouldn't be asking me that question, okay? This will not be read my lips. It won't be read my lips anymore. We're not going to touch it now. We are going to look for fraud. I'm sure you're okay with that. Like people that shouldn't be on people that are illegal aliens and others criminals.

[Megyn Kelly]

In many cases, eliminating waste, fraud and abuse is a top priority of the Trump administration. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates In fiscal year 2024 Medicaid completed $31 billion billion with a B in improper payments beyond these sticking points, there are still hundreds of details to be worked out, including President Trump's desire to end taxes on tips, on overtime and on Social Security benefits. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries indicating on Tuesday that the budget will not have any Democrat support.

[Elon Musk]

We will push back against the Republican budget tomorrow. We will push back against the reckless Republican budget until it's buried deep in the ground. Never to rise again.

[Donald Trump]

Never to rise again.

[Megyn Kelly]

If House and Senate GOP members are able to come to an agreement on a final bill which is not yet certain, it will be passed through a fast track process that avoids the Senate filibuster, meaning it will only require a simple majority to pass. There is much more back and forth to come. The deadline to pass a new budget is March 14th. That's just two weeks and one day away. Later today, Senate Majority Leader John Thune will bring the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports act to the floor. The news broke on the Megyn Kelly show yesterday. Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville introduced this bill multiple times before under President Biden and now President Trump. The bill will enshrine President Trump's executive orders protecting female sports into law. The bill defines sex as based on biological sex at birth, not one's feelings about one's so called gender. It requires federally funded schools to prohibit males from competing in girls sports. Every GOP Senator is expected to vote yes. The first step though, is a cloture vote, a vote on whether they should have a vote at all on the actual bill. That requires 60 votes to pass, meaning seven Democrats will have to join with the Republicans. This is where many bills die and why it is hard to pass legislation in the Senate without 60 seats, as opposed to 51. 79% of Americans support a measure to prevent biological males from competing in girls and women's sports. President Trump is prepared to sign this bill should it pass into law. Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, announcing significant changes to the opinion page. Mr. Bezos penning a letter to the Post staff yesterday morning that reads, quote, we are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars, personal liberties and free markets. We will cover other topics too, of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others. Mr. Bezos Justifying the change, saying, though it was once the job of a newspaper to deliver varying viewpoints, now the Internet does that. He also believes viewpoints embracing free markets and personal liberties are underserved in the current market. The former editor of the Opinion page, David Shipley, was offered the option to stay on, Mr. Bezos says Shipley declined. Chief economics reporter Jeff Stein calls the move a massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos, saying, quote, I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side of coverage, but if Bezos tries interfering with the news side, I will be quitting immediately and letting you know. Tech reporter and all around troll Kara Swisher posting to Blue sky quote, I told you all Jeff Bezos was feral. He's now killed the First Amendment and basic humanity in a vomitous spew of nonsense. Philip Bump, columnist at the Post, writing on Blue sky what the actual Fox former executive editor of the Post Marty Barron telling the Daily Beast he's sad and disgusted by the move. There is no doubt in my mind that he is doing this out of fear of the consequences for his other business interests, end quote. Those other interests include his ownership of Amazon, Whole Foods and aerospace company Blue Origin. The Post reportedly lost more than 500,000 subscribers since 2021, down from 3 million. That'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here for the Megyn Kelly show live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east and on YouTube.com Megan Kelly, as well as all podcast.

[Dick Durbin]

Platform.

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