Megyn Kelly on US-Iran ceasefire: “I'm not willing to pretend that this is some huge victory for us”
Kelly: As Iran asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz, “the United States president saw his poll numbers go down precipitously and eventually said, OK, I give”
Published
Megyn Kelly on US-Iran ceasefire: “I'm not willing to pretend that this is some huge victory for us”
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From the April 8, 2026, edition of SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Show
MEGYN KELLY (HOST): Joining me now to discuss this and try to unpack it, I know it's confusing, is Curt Mills. He is the executive director of The American Conservative. So, Curt, your thoughts on the ceasefire deal?
CURT MILLS (GUEST): Trying to — trying to be hopeful here. I think on this — on the face of it, if this thing holds, it's not the worst thing in the world with the war having started. So the war stops, the Iranian framework is ambitious for them, but it's better than the war continuing. And I will say you shouldn't necessarily try — judge a plan on who's upset today, but hawks in the United States like Mark Levin, Laura Loomer, the Israeli hard right are aghast at this plan. And so, given the course that they have driven civilization on as of late, it's not the worst thing in the world to see these people experience a little setback for their dark ambitions.
KELLY: I'm happy. I like — he can slap together whatever plan he wants to bring it to a close, I've said all along. I'll go along with it. Fine.
But I also am not going to pretend that this is some big victory for the United States. It's just not. It really could be an amazing victory for Iran, if they get some of these terms.
MILLS: Again, you know, I think that the messaging here has to be a little careful. You don't want to encourage President Trump should go back into war. I think that the reality is if he signs a deal like this, if they're serious, if they send someone like the vice president as opposed to sort of trudging out Kushner and Witkoff once again, and they ink something, and the Israelis are held into — held in check, which is — these are all enormous ifs — this is much, much better for the United States. It's much, much better for the administration. It's much, much better for MAGA. It's much, much better for Republicans than the war continuing.
So, you know, I opposed this war from the start. I oppose the march to war. I opposed the assassination of Soleimani in 2020.
But, you know, all the developments, seeing Trump talk about setting up some sort of toll booth, which is a joint venture with the Iranians, in the scheme of things from annihilating civilization and potentially using a super secret weapon or a nuclear bomb on Tehran, which is what we kind of thought might happen last night, this isn’t all that bad. So just trying to — trying to put a little spring cheer here.
KELLY: No, I understand. I mean — maybe we're in different businesses. My business is the truth at all costs.
(CROSSTALK)
MILLS: No, no, no. We definitely are
KELLY: I don't try to manipulate the president. And I just don't — I'm glad it's coming to an end. Don't get me wrong. I'd much prefer this to annihilation of Iran, but I'm — like I'm not willing to pretend that this is some huge victory for us. It's just not.
Like, militarily, we were amazing, of course. Our military is second to none. They were powerful. They were mighty. They were pristine.
But the end result of this 38 days is the strait is now controlled by Iran. It wasn't before. It now costs a toll potentially to get through. It didn't before. The United States military —
MILLS: The war was a mistake.
KELLY: — despite its incredible performance, has been proven to be incapable of controlling this particular enemy, which realized it has a much more powerful weapon than a nuke. It controls the Strait of Hormuz, or at least, potentially, it can.
And that could bring world powers to their knees. Because as it asserted that control, the United States president saw his poll numbers go down precipitously and eventually said, OK, I give.