Summary: In a wide-ranging November 21, 2025 radio interview, President Donald Trump addressed multiple high-stakes policy issues with Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade. Trump revealed he would meet with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani later that day despite past tensions, doubled down on calling recent statements by Democratic politicians urging troops to refuse “illegal orders” as potentially seditious behavior warranting serious legal consequences, outlined an ambitious healthcare reform plan to replace insurance company subsidies with direct payments to citizens by a January 30th deadline, confirmed a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to respond to his 28-point peace proposal while maintaining sanctions on Russia, condemned the Nigerian government as a “disgrace” for failing to stop the killing of Christians, claimed unprecedented Middle East peace progress, and defended AI development despite job displacement concerns by promising economic expansion would create more opportunities than it eliminates.
For a fact-check, see Fact-Checking Major Claims from Trump’s November 21, 2025 Fox News Radio Interview. Assistance from Claude AI.
Participants
- Donald Trump – President of the United States (47th President, serving second term)
- Brian Kilmeade – Host, Fox News Radio
Meeting with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani
Kilmeade opened the interview by asking about Trump’s scheduled 3:00 PM meeting with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, noting the two had “clashed before from afar.” Trump acknowledged their philosophical differences but expressed optimism: “I think we’ll get along fine. Look, we’re looking for the same thing. We want to make New York strong and, you know, there’s just such a different philosophy, but I’ll let you know.”
Context for readers: This meeting represented a potential thaw in relations between Trump and New York City’s progressive leadership after tensions during Mamdani’s campaign and early months in office.
Kilmeade played an audio clip from Mamdani’s victory speech, in which the mayor said: “This is not only how we stop Trump, it’s how we stop the next one. So Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you, turn the volume up.” Trump responded by noting he had also been “hitting him a little hard” during the campaign, adding: “I don’t know exactly what he means by turn the volume up, because turn the volume up — he has to be careful when he says that to me.”
However, Trump quickly pivoted to a more conciliatory tone, noting that Mamdani “was very nice in calling” and predicting the meeting would “be quite civil.” When asked if he would open the meeting to press, Trump said he expected to, joking: “The one thing I notice about politicians, the answer is always yes, other than with Biden. Biden didn’t open up doors to his brain.”
Immigration Enforcement Tensions
A key point of anticipated friction emerged around immigration enforcement cooperation. Kilmeade noted that Mamdani had stated he would not return to the days of NYPD cooperation with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for civil immigration enforcement.
Trump framed his deportation plans narrowly around serious criminals: “We’re going to be talking about it. I just can’t imagine that where you have hard core criminals, and this is about criminals. You know, you can make a case the other way, having to do with others. But you know, when you have a murderer, when you have a known murderer, known rapist or known whatever it is, drug dealers all over the place, I can’t imagine that anybody wants to keep them, but I’ll have that discussion with him today.”
Context: The debate over local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities has been a contentious issue in sanctuary cities. Trump’s emphasis on “hard core criminals” represents his public framing of mass deportation plans, though critics argue the actual scope of enforcement could be much broader.
Military Orders Controversy and Sedition Accusations
Trump devoted substantial time to condemning a recent video featuring Democratic politicians and veterans, including Senator Elise Slotkin, urging military members that they can refuse illegal orders. The video stated: “You can refuse illegal orders. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders.”
Trump called the message “really bad and dangerous to our country” and characterized it as “seditious behavior from traitors.” When Kilmeade noted that some interpreted Trump’s response as threatening death to the politicians involved, Trump clarified but maintained the severity of his accusation:
“I’m not threatening them, but I think they’re in serious trouble. I would say they’re in serious trouble. I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble. In the old days, it was death… That was a big deal — Today, nothing’s a big deal. Today’s a different world, OK? It’s a softer mic — it’s a meeker, milder world.”
Trump continued: “What they say, you know, essentially don’t follow the orders of the president of the United States, to the military… And you know, you have [inaudible] young privates and young corporals and young sergeants and they’re not scholars, necessarily. There might be a few, frankly, but they’re not scholars. They don’t, you know, study the Constitution etc., etc.”
He characterized the statement as law-breaking: “These are bad people. These are people that, in my opinion, broke the law… That is a terrible statement. I can say, if I ever said that and there were a Democrat as president, all hell would have broken loose and it has broken loose. I have had more calls from people, even Democrats, saying what a horrible thing that was.”
Context for readers: The Uniform Code of Military Justice does require service members to disobey unlawful orders. The tension centers on who determines what constitutes an unlawful order. The politicians’ message appeared aimed at concerns about potential misuse of military power domestically, while Trump characterized it as undermining military discipline and chain of command.
When Kilmeade asked if Trump worried service members might refuse orders, Trump expressed confidence in his leadership: “No, I don’t worry about anything like that because I’m a leader and they do as I say, but it certainly is not a good situation. You know, it could happen. With certain leaders it could happen. I don’t think that it happened with me.”
Trump indicated both Todd Blanche (Deputy Attorney General) and Pete Hegseth (Secretary of Defense) were looking into the matter: “I know they’re looking into it militarily. I don’t know for a fact, but I think the military is looking into it, the military courts.”
FBI Investigation into Thomas Crooks Assassination Attempt
Kilmeade raised reports from journalist Miranda Devine about the FBI investigation into Thomas Crooks, the individual who attempted to assassinate Trump in 2024. According to Devine’s sources, Crooks had a “huge social media footprint” that was allegedly mischaracterized by former FBI Director Christopher Wray as merely anti-Semitic, when it reportedly showed pro-Trump views initially that later turned anti-Trump.
Trump expressed lack of confidence in Wray’s handling but confidence in his current team: “I wasn’t happy with Christopher Wray and I wasn’t happy with that whole situation with him, but I do have confidence in Kash, a lot of confidence, and the DOJ. And they are giving me reports and their reports are seeming to balance out. So I have confidence in these people. I didn’t have confidence in Christopher Wray. I thought Christopher Wray was not good at the job he did.”
Context: Trump referenced Kash Patel, his FBI Director, as the source of his renewed confidence in the investigation. The July 2024 assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally remains under investigation, with questions about security failures and the shooter’s motivations.
Healthcare Reform: Direct Payments to Replace Insurance Subsidies
Trump outlined an ambitious plan to fundamentally restructure Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) subsidies, with a self-imposed deadline of January 30th. The proposal involves eliminating payments to insurance companies and instead giving money directly to individuals to purchase their own health insurance.
Trump framed the current system as an “insurance company scam”: “We have something where instead of the insurance companies getting the money — you know, they’re making billions and billions of dollars and it’s lousy health care. They call it the un-Affordable Care Act, right? It is the un-Affordable Care Act… It’s too expensive for people. It’s no good for the country, but it’s worse for the people. It’s lousy health care.”
His proposal: “I want to give the money that we give to the insurance companies directly to the people, let the people buy their own health insurance, and that’s what’s going to happen.”
Trump claimed bipartisan support for the initiative, naming several Republican senators: “Katie’s working on it. A lot of people are working on it. Rick Scott is working on it. Many, many Senators are working on it… I believe that there’s good support on both sides for that.”
He mentioned a January 30th deadline for implementation: “We have a June — we have a January 30th date coming up. I’d like to see if we could do it by then. They say, well, let’s go another year and I said let’s see if we can get it done by January 30th. So there are a lot of people, including Democrats, that are working on this.”
Trump summarized the promise simply: “We’re going to give them better health insurance for less money… You can’t do better than that.”
Context for readers: The January 30th date likely relates to budget reconciliation deadlines or subsidy expiration dates. Trump’s criticism of insurance companies echoes progressive critiques of the ACA, though the mechanism of direct payments represents a more market-oriented approach. Senators Katie Britt, Bill Cassidy, and Thom Tillis were mentioned by Kilmeade as Republicans working on healthcare subsidies. The feasibility of such a dramatic overhaul by late January remains uncertain, as comprehensive healthcare reform typically requires extensive legislative work.
Venezuela: Maduro Negotiations and Drug War
When asked about his plans for dealing with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump declined to reveal his negotiating strategy. Kilmeade asked whether Maduro must leave power or if there was a scenario where he stays. Trump responded: “I’m sorry, I’m not going to tell you what I’m going to tell him… I just don’t do that. You know, maybe other politicians do. I can’t do that. And then they prepare for that or unless I want to send a mixed signal. And I don’t like lying.”
However, Trump emphasized the drug crisis as a key concern: “What they did — drugs are horrendous, and you know, they’re one, but you also have Mexico, you have Colombia. Colombia is horrible in the drug situation. I mean, they have cocaine plants, where they make cocaine. It’s horrible.”
Trump cited dramatic death toll figures: “I think we lost last year, 200,000 people. That’s death. But when you multiply that times three or four for the people that are affected, the parents or brothers or sisters, it’s a — it’s a terrible situation.”
He singled out Venezuela’s specific crime: “Venezuela did one thing that nobody else did to that extent. They emptied their prisons into our country, Tren de Aragua, the gang, the — their prisons were emptied into the US, empty… And they’re not getting away with that. And we’re bringing them back but they’re not getting away with it.”
Context: Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan criminal organization. Trump’s claim that Venezuela deliberately emptied prisons into the U.S. has been disputed by fact-checkers, though there is evidence that some members of Venezuelan gangs have entered the U.S. The actual U.S. drug overdose death toll in recent years has been approximately 100,000 annually, not 200,000, according to CDC data.
Kilmeade noted that the Colombian president recently stated Maduro should leave power, which Trump acknowledged without elaborating: “We’re going to see and we’re going to be very much involved and we’re going to — I’ll be speaking to them in the not too distant future.”
Ukraine Peace Plan: Thursday Deadline and Sanctions
Trump confirmed reports of a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, though he emphasized flexibility on the specific Thursday deadline. Kilmeade outlined some reported elements: “It looks like Ukraine has to cut their personnel to 600,000. It looks like they got to give up some land that they have not lost in the war. They cannot join NATO.”
Trump corrected one point: “No, that they will lose in a short period of time… They’re losing land. They’re losing land.”
He emphasized the human cost as his primary concern: “We’re in it for one thing. We want the killing to — you know, they lost 25,000 people last month between the two countries, 25,000 people. It’s out of control. It’s a bloodbath.”
Trump defended Russia against expansion concerns: “He’s not looking for more war. Look, he’s taking punishment. Say what you want. I mean, this was supposed to be a one-day war that entered [ph] four years now, OK?”
He praised both American equipment and Ukrainian fighters: “We gave them the best military — we make the best equipment in the world. We gave — we gave Ukraine the best military equipment anywhere in the world… Nobody makes — and we gave them a lot of it, but somebody had to use that equipment and say what you want. They were very brave.”
Critically, Trump confirmed sanctions will continue: When Kilmeade asked about pulling off sanctions, Trump was emphatic: “No, no, not at all. We have very strong sanctions.” He confirmed that new sanctions against Russian oil companies including Lukoil would proceed: “They go in very soon and they’re very powerful, very powerful… You know, it makes it very hard to sell oil. That’s a big thing. That’s — you know, the whole — their whole economy is based on oil. But no, I’m not doing anything having to do with taking back sanctions.”
On the Thursday deadline, Trump was measured: “I’ve had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines. But Thursday is a — we think an appropriate time.”
Context: Trump mentioned meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and referenced Dan Driscoll, his Secretary of the Army. The 25,000 casualty figure per month would represent an extremely high toll; independent estimates of total casualties vary widely and are difficult to verify. NATO membership for Ukraine has been a key Russian demand, making this a significant potential concession.
Nigeria: Christian Persecution Crisis
Trump issued his strongest condemnation for the Nigerian government, responding to news that 52 more Christians were kidnapped from a school with a $100 million ransom demand.
“I think Nigeria is a disgrace. The whole thing is a disgrace. They’re killing people by the thousands. It’s a genocide and I’m really angry about it. And we pay — you know, we give a lot of subsidy to Nigeria. We’re going to end up stopping. The government has done nothing. They’re very ineffective. They’re killing Christians at will.”
Trump claimed personal involvement brought attention to the issue: “Until I got involved in it two weeks ago, nobody even talked about it. The New York Times doesn’t write stories about it. Nobody writes stories about it. They’re killing people, hundreds of thousands of people.”
He criticized media coverage: “When you look at it, they don’t — can you imagine, they don’t even cover it. They hardly cover a story like this… When you look at the lack of coverage and yet other things that are totally unimportant get massive coverage, it’s disgraceful. What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace.”
Context for readers: Violence against Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the Middle Belt region, has been documented by human rights organizations. The violence is often characterized as farmer-herder conflicts with religious dimensions, as well as attacks by groups like Boko Haram. Trump’s “hundreds of thousands” figure appears to be an exaggeration; while thousands have been killed over recent years, the total death toll from religious violence is disputed. His threat to cut U.S. aid to Nigeria represents a significant policy statement.
Gaza and Middle East Peace
Trump claimed unprecedented progress toward Middle East peace. Kilmeade noted that Mike Waltz, Trump’s U.N. Ambassador, achieved a “15-0” Security Council vote on “the Trump Peace Plan in Gaza,” with a coordinated unit established: “The first floor is Israelis. The second floor is us, as well as international representation from Egypt to Qatar.”
Trump was optimistic but cautious on Hamas: “We’re going to see. Let’s take a look at Hamas, what they do, because we just started that process. Let’s see what happens.”
He made sweeping claims about regional transformation: “I will say this, we have now peace in the Middle East. We have countries signed on. We have so many countries that have signed on. In fact, it changes every single day. Countries are being added. There’s never been a time like this in the Middle East. You have peace in the Middle East.”
On Iran, Trump claimed major setbacks for the regime: “You have Iran, which has been beaten very badly and their nuclear capability taken away and they want to make a deal and we probably will make a deal with Iran.”
He characterized Hezbollah as diminished: “You have Hezbollah with Lebanon, which is not good, but that’s a relatively small situation, not a good situation, but small.”
Trump emphasized the contrast: “One year ago you had nuclear weapons, you had — Iran was boasting about how strong they were… This is a totally different Middle East right now. And you have countries that want to make peace as opposed to countries that had no idea of making peace. We’ve taken a big, dark cloud off of the Middle East by bringing Iran back down to size.”
Context: Trump’s claims of Iran’s nuclear capability being “taken away” are difficult to verify and may be exaggerated. While Iranian nuclear facilities and proxy forces have been degraded through Israeli strikes and other actions, Iran retains nuclear infrastructure and knowledge. The characterization of widespread Middle East peace also appears premature given ongoing conflicts. However, normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states have represented significant diplomatic shifts.
Artificial Intelligence and Job Displacement
Responding to concerns about AI-driven job losses, with Kilmeade citing Amazon cutting 9,000 jobs due to automation, Trump promised massive economic expansion would create more jobs than AI eliminates.
“What’s going to happen is economies will get so much bigger that you’ll have tremendous numbers of jobs, including the making of AI itself. We have plans that are being built in this country, producing AI, artificial intelligence. I never liked the idea with the word artificial, but that’s what they call it, so let them call it. We have the biggest plants in the world being built.”
He emphasized construction and operation jobs: “So people have to build those plants. People have to operate the plants. People have to do a lot.”
Trump made extraordinary investment claims: “From our standpoint, I can tell you as a country, our country is getting much bigger, much wealthier. We have $20 trillion being invested in the United States. Under — if you took a look at past years, but if you go back just to Biden, they had less than — substantially less than $1 trillion over four years. I have $20 trillion in one year. It’ll be about $20 trillion in one year, a record. No other country ever in history has done that.”
His conclusion: “All of that money, much of it goes toward jobs. So yes, I agree with you, it will make things more efficient, but it will also make things much bigger. It’s going to level out beautifully.”
Context for readers: The claim of $20 trillion in investment in a single year would be an unprecedented figure, exceeding total U.S. GDP (approximately $27 trillion annually). This figure requires verification and context about what types of investment are being counted and over what timeframe. While AI infrastructure investment is indeed growing significantly, the $20 trillion claim appears to lack supporting evidence.
Personal Anecdote: Early Career Interaction
The interview concluded with Kilmeade recalling their first meeting when he worked at “Sports Phone, the lowest rung of media” and Trump was promoting the “Alex Stewart Tyson fight.” Kilmeade noted that while Yankees players ignored him, Trump gave him an interview even before more prominent broadcaster Warner Wolf.
Trump responded warmly: “Maybe I spotted talent. You know, maybe I saw you and you were a young guy, young, nice, handsome guy and maybe I said, this guy’s got a big future, I’d better be nice to him and I was right… So maybe I didn’t do it for myself. Maybe I really did something that I spotted great talent, look how well you’ve done.”
The exchange ended with mutual congratulations, with Kilmeade calling Trump a “two term president” and Trump responding: “I’ve done OK. I’ve done OK. But we watch each other. That’s very nice.”
Source Citation
Trump, Donald J. Interview by Brian Kilmeade. Fox News Radio, 21 Nov. 2025. Transcript. Factbase, factba.se.