The Megyn Kelly Show
Trump's Newsy First Cabinet Meeting, Afghanistan Withdrawal Accountability: AM Update for 2/27
Thu, 27 Feb 2025
AM Update for 2/27: President Trump's newsy first cabinet meeting includes a DOGE-related warning to all federal workers, teases Afghanistan withdrawal accountability coming, and announces a Zelensky White House visit tomorrow. House and Senate Republicans work to craft a budget. The Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act will get a Senate vote. Jeff Bezos causes another staff revolt with an announcement about the Washington Post's opinion page. Herald Group: Learn more at https:/GuardYourCard.comFYSI: https://FYSI.com/Megyn or call 800-877-4000
Chapter 1: What are the key highlights from Trump's first cabinet meeting?
Good morning, everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Thursday, February 27th, 2025, and this is your AM Update.
Those million people that haven't responded, though, Elon, they are on the bubble.
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.
Chapter 2: What actions are being taken for Afghanistan withdrawal accountability?
We're doing a complete review of every single aspect of what happened.
Defense 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.
Chapter 3: What is the controversy surrounding Senator Durbin's credit card plan?
All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update. As President Trump begins his new administration, one of the top Democrats in Congress aiming to undermine the Trump agenda is Senator Dick Durbin. And according to our sponsor, the Electronic Payments Coalition, Senator Durbin has a new scheme, 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. And that means more risk to your credit and your identity. Learn more at guardyourcard.org and consider telling your senators to stop Dick Durbin's government takeover of your credit card before it's too late.
Chapter 4: How is President Trump addressing fraudulent federal employees?
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.
I think that email perhaps was best interpreted as email. 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 have been literally fictional individuals that are collecting paychecks. Well, some of these collecting paychecks aren't fictional individuals. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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Chapter 5: What are the impacts of potential tariffs on the EU?
But his administration is looking at 25 percent. 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 if these countries or the EU retaliate?
They can't. I mean, they can try, but they can't.
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.
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Chapter 6: How is the Trump administration handling fentanyl trafficking with Canada and Mexico?
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.
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.
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
Chapter 7: What developments are occurring with the Ukraine and Russia negotiations?
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.
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.
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 as the president of the 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.
Oh, OK. You try and take it away, right? We're going to... 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.
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.
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.
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 U.S. forces were abandoned, billions of dollars worth of military equipment left behind, and Bagram Air Force Base left vacant.
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