First American Pope, Bidens Defensive on The View, Casey Means as Surgeon General: AM Update 5/9
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Good morning, everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Friday, May 9th, 2025, and this is your AM Update. White smoke at the Vatican. There's a new pope. And for the first time ever, he's from America. The people who wrote those books were not in the White House with us.

And they didn't see how hard Joe worked every single day. Former President Joe Biden plus Dr. Jill sit through a rambling and defensive appearance on The View. And President Trump's new pick for Surgeon General, Casey Means, gets attacked by some in the Maha movement. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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White smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel late Thursday afternoon signaling a new leader for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. But unlike every other time in history, an American-born man walked out on that balcony to the cheering crowds below.

Robert Francis Prevost is now Pope Leo XIV. Born in Chicago and alum of Villanova University in Philadelphia, he has spent most of his time in Peru and is a dual citizen. He has been serving as head of the Dicastery for Bishops since 2023. The powerful position means he oversees the selection of new bishops. President

President Trump giving his congratulations shortly after the announcement, writing on Truth Social, quote, it is such an honor to realize that he is the first American pope. What excitement and what a great honor for our country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment.

A shock pick. Little has been written in the weeks since Pope Francis's death about what sort of Pope Leo XIV might be. But that has not slowed down the Internet speculation. Many reports describing him as a centrist. His home state of Illinois does not register voters by party, but he appears to have voted in several Republican primaries.

However, an ex-account believed to belong to Prevost used sparingly, sharing an article in February headlined, "'J.D. Vance is wrong. Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others.'"

Additional tweets and retweets have been critical of Mr. Trump or his policies. Still, some conservatives see the fact that he chose a traditional papal name and wore the traditional papal garb, as Benedict XVI did and Francis did not, as encouraging signs. Much more on this historic day for Catholics and the world and on the new American Pope in the days and weeks ahead. ♪

Former President Biden appearing for a lengthy interview on The View on Thursday alongside his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, for part of it. This comes as several books are being released about his final years in the White House with implications of a cover-up of his cognitive decline.

Through pre-scripted questions from the hosts, the former president gave rambling, at times incoherent, answers. At one point, President Biden asked to address why his vice president, Kamala Harris, lost to President Trump, pointed to sexism and racism. Why do you think the vice president lost, and were you surprised? I wasn't surprised, not because I didn't think the vice president was the most qualified person to be president. She is. She's qualified to be president of the United States of America. Right.

But I was surprised. I wasn't surprised because they went the route of the sexist route, the whole route. I mean, this is a woman. She's this. She's that. Really, I've never seen quite as successful and consistent campaign.

undercutting the notion that a woman couldn't lead the country and a woman of mixed race. Sonny Hostin asked Mr. Biden about the way Ms. Harris answered Hostin's questioning during a campaign appearance on The View. She said that answer had been weaponized against Ms. Harris when Harris refused to name an area of disagreement with her boss. First of all, I did not advise her to say that, number one.

Like I said, I was vice president. I understand the role, number one. Number two, I think it was, I think she was talking about she wouldn't have changed the successes we've had, not as opposed to that we wouldn't change anything at all. She has to be her own person. And she was. She was. And so I think that that was used in a way that is contrary to what she meant by when she said that. Mm-hmm.

And I think that...

You know, she was part of every success we had. We'd argue like hell, by the way. No, no, no. That's good. That's good. We'd sit and say, well, what about this version? No, Jill, I don't like that. Anyway, we worked it out. When Jill Biden joined the show, she cut in and interrupted her husband to respond herself to accusations of cognitive decline laid out in these recent books. We're also in a situation where we found ourselves...

unable to deal with a lot of just basic issues, which I won't go into in the interest of time. And so we went to work and we got it done. And one of the things that, well, I haven't talked to you all. Well, and Alyssa, one of the things I think is that the people who wrote those books were not in the White House with us. And they didn't see how hard Joe worked every single day. I

I mean, he'd get up, he'd put in a full day, and then at night, I'd be in bed reading my book, and he was still on the phone reading his briefings, working with staff. I mean, it was nonstop. The White House, being president is not like a job. It's a lifestyle.

And later, Dr. Jill addressed critics who said she was like Lady Macbeth during the last year of her husband's administration. I was with Joe day and night. I saw him more than any other person. I woke up with him. I went to bed at night with him.

So I saw him all throughout the day and I did not create a cocoon around him. I mean, you saw him in the Oval Office. You saw him making speeches. He wasn't hiding somewhere. I didn't have him, you know, sequestered in some place. I mean, that's what she had.

Was that hurtful to you when they were describing you as Lady Macbeth? Yes, it was very hurtful. It was very hurtful, especially from some of our so-called friends. And we may be hearing more from former President Biden soon. Politico reporting the Trump administration is weighing the possible release of the full audio from special counsel Robert Herr's interview with then-President Biden that took place in October 2023. The transcript was released last year.

Coming up, President Trump picks Casey Means as his next Surgeon General. How'd that go? And Mr. Trump announces his first official trade deal with the U.K.,

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President Trump announcing Wednesday a last-minute switcheroo for his Surgeon General pick, pulling Dr. Jeanette Neshawat just before her confirmation hearing, and instead picking Dr. Casey Means, a functional medicine doctor and co-author of the best-selling book, Good Energy, which she co-wrote with her brother, Callie Means. In making the announcement, President Trump wrote, quote,

and we'll work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our agenda in order to reverse the chronic disease epidemic and ensure great health in the future for all Americans.

On the Megyn Kelly show last month, host of the MK Media show Next Up, Mark Halperin described the board of directors for the Trump administration as the three most influential voices on the outside. And all three board members approve of Casey Means. Quote, phenomenal pick by President Trump, wrote Charlie Kirk, while Donald Trump Jr. posted excellent pick, huge for Maha.

Tucker Carlson, the third member, hosted Casey and her brother Callie on his podcast last year in a viral episode that introduced them onto the national scene. Casey has also been a regular guest on The Megyn Kelly Show. In November, she joined the show to talk about the headwinds RFKJ would face when he took over HHS in the new administration, headwinds she'll no doubt face too, if confirmed.

I invite everyone to go to the hhs.gov priority document of Priorities for America. This PDF mentions vaccines 27 times. It does not mention the words chronic disease, diabetes, or obesity.

the things that are costing trillions of dollars to the American healthcare system. I mean, 70% of our GDP goes to healthcare, $4.5 trillion a year. And they're trying to...

essentially jammed down our throat that health is found in a syringe. However, the positive response to the announcement has been far from universal. Nicole Shanahan, who was RFKJ's running mate and a leading voice of the Maha movement, posted a lengthy critique of both Casey and Callie means on X.

writing, quote, doesn't make any sense. I was promised that if I supported RFKJ in his Senate confirmation, that neither of these siblings would be working under HHS or in an appointment and that people much more qualified would be. I don't know if RFK very clearly lied to me or what's going on. It has been clear in recent conversations that he is reporting to someone regularly who is controlling his decisions and it isn't President Trump.

With regards to the siblings, there is something very artificial and aggressive about them, almost like they were bred and raised Manchurian assets. Meanwhile, MAGA influencer Laura Loomer attacked Casey over a book her father wrote, which says it is for kids confused about their gender and sexual identities.

Your humble reporter has spoken directly to Casey Means about the gender issue and children and can report that she is against the transing of children and will not support puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgical procedures in this lane on minors.

Ms. Loomer also attacked Dr. Means for using psychedelics and for not having an active medical license. Dr. Means allowed it to go inactive when she stopped seeing patients years ago. Like the confirmation hearings for RFKJ and others in the Trump administration, this one will be contentious and we'll have it covered for you.

President Trump announcing the first of his post-Liberation Day trade deals with the United Kingdom. In a morning post on Truth Social, he explained why he started with the UK, writing, quote, because of our longtime history and allegiance together. It is a great honor to have the United Kingdom as our first announcement.

President Trump joined in the Oval Thursday morning to mark the occasion by his vice president, J.D. Vance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and others, with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer phoning in. With this deal, the U.K. joins the United States in affirming that reciprocity and fairness is an essential and vital principle of international trade.

The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol, and virtually all of the products produced by our great farmers.

Prime Minister Starmer echoing President Trump's sentiments on the deal. This is a really fantastic historic day in which we can announce this deal between our two great countries. And I think it's a real tribute to the history that we have of working so closely together. Can I pay tribute, Donald, to your negotiating team as well, particularly Howard and Jameson, who've done an incredible job, a very professional job.

The deal keeps the 10% across-the-board tariffs that the Trump administration put into place, but removes some of the additional tariffs that were on top of that 10%. For example, the 25% tariff on UK steel and aluminum will be removed, and the first 100,000 vehicles imported into the U.S. will not be subject to the additional 25% rate.

In return, the UK government will be removing the tariff they had on ethanol from the US and agreed to quote reciprocal market access on beef.

Commerce Secretary Lutnick pointing to President Trump as the closer in getting his first deal done. This was the president's deal. And people think, oh, that's not the way it works. If you got to sit next to him, I have the best dealmaker to my left. And if you don't think that we take advantage of him calling the prime minister and getting that deal done, you don't understand who's the president of the United States.

So he's the closer. He gets deals done that we could never get done because he understands business. He understands deals. President Trump posting on Truth Social, quote, many other deals which are in serious stages of negotiation to follow.

In other news, the Golden Globes just added a best podcast category to its awards. Could AM Update be in contention? Who cares? The only good opinion we want is yours. Thanks for listening. That'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here on The Megyn Kelly Show, live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east, on youtube.com slash Megyn Kelly, and on all podcast platforms. ♪

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