President Donald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Friday after host Kristen Welker repeatedly challenged his unsubstantiated claims about election rigging. The interview, set in a barn at a farm in Wisconsin where Trump was appearing with farmers, was delayed multiple times by rain and technical difficulties. NBC reported that Trump walked out about 50 minutes into the session.
Throughout the interview, Welker questioned Trump about the U.S. conflict with Iran. The president insisted that military action was needed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and that it would not be prolonged. “We’re there for a few months and the threat is largely over,” Trump said.
Approximately six minutes before he left the set, the discussion turned to the “anti-weaponisation” fund, a now-abandoned proposal to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate individuals who claim they were unfairly targeted or investigated by the government. The plan had drawn strong criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, who argued it could result in payments to people prosecuted over the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
When the conversation moved to the Jan. 6 riot, Welker challenged Trump after he repeated his long-standing, unsubstantiated claim that the 2020 election was rigged. Trump then turned to the current California primary elections, where votes are still being counted more than four days after Election Day. He said the delayed results indicated cheating. “They’re cheating on the election,” Trump said.
“All I have to do is look, and I listen,” Trump replied when Welker asked for evidence. “But that’s not evidence,” she interjected. Full results in California have not yet been called; delays are common in the state due to a meticulous vote-counting process and widespread use of mail-in ballots, which Trump has long criticized.
Trump then accused Welker of being “crooked,” telling her, “You’re either crooked or you’re stupid.” Welker responded, “To be fair, I’m not crooked. But let’s continue.” Trump cut off the interview, saying, “Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you darling, have a good time.” He gestured to people behind the camera, saying “come on, let’s go,” before standing and walking off the set.
After the broadcast, Welker said she spoke with Trump on Saturday and that “we both acknowledged the complications during the interview posed by the rain. He agreed to sit down with me for another Meet the Press interview.” The BBC has approached the White House for comment.