US President Donald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NBC after a tense exchange with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker over his claims about election fraud.
The interview aired on Sunday and took place during Trump’s visit to a farming event in Wisconsin. NBC reported that the president left the interview about 50 minutes after it began on Friday.
The disagreement started when Trump repeated his claim that both the 2020 presidential election and the ongoing California primary elections were “rigged.”
Welker asked the president to provide evidence to support his allegations.
“Do you have evidence to support that?” she asked.
“All I have to do is look, and I listen,” Trump replied.
Welker challenged the response, saying that was not evidence.
The exchange quickly became heated, with Trump accusing the media of being dishonest and biased.
Trump pointed to delays in California’s primary election results as proof that something was wrong.
“They’re cheating on the election,” he said.
Election officials have not reported evidence of fraud. California often takes several days to complete vote counting because of its extensive use of mail-in ballots and detailed verification process.
Trump has frequently criticised mail-in voting and has raised concerns about election integrity in previous elections.
As the discussion continued, Trump accused Welker of being “crooked” and later suggested she was either “crooked or stupid.”
Welker rejected the accusation and attempted to continue the interview.
Moments later, Trump ended the conversation.
“Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you darling, have a good time,” he said.
When Welker tried to continue, Trump interrupted and complained about the conditions under which the interview took place.
“I’ve sat in the rain with you for an hour, on and off in the rain, and I’ve given you enough time,” he said.
He also criticised the media, saying a country could not be great with a “dishonest press.”
Trump then stood up and walked away from the set.
Before the interview ended, Trump answered questions about the conflict with Iran.
He defended US actions aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and insisted any military involvement would not become a prolonged conflict.
“We’re there for a few months and the threat is largely over,” he said.
The interview also touched on a proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponisation fund. The plan would have compensated people who claimed the government unfairly targeted or investigated them.
The proposal later faced criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, who argued it could benefit people prosecuted in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot.
Following the broadcast, Welker said she spoke with Trump on Saturday about the interview.
According to her, both sides acknowledged the challenges caused by rain and technical difficulties during the recording.
Welker said Trump agreed to take part in another Meet the Press interview in the future.
