Trump Storms Out Of NBC Interview After Host Challenges Election Rigging Claims, January 6 Remarks
Trump Storms Out Of NBC Interview After Host Challenges Election Rigging Claims, January 6 Remarks
U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ moderator Kristin Welker after a heated exchange over his proposed “weaponization fund,” the January 6 Capitol riot cases, and his continued claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
The tense interview began with Welker pressing Trump on a proposed multi-billion-dollar fund intended to compensate people who claim they were victims of what he describes as the federal government’s weaponization of the justice system.
Asked whether he was abandoning the fund after it was blocked by the courts and faced opposition in Congress, Trump defended the proposal and argued that many Americans had suffered under the administration of former President Joe Biden.
“People have been hurt so badly by radical left lunatics that worked for the Biden administration and Sleepy Joe,” Trump said. “They’ve committed suicide, they’ve lost their jobs, they’ve lost their families, they’ve lost their wives, they’ve lost everything over a fake weaponization of government.”
When Welker repeatedly asked whether he intended to revive the fund, Trump responded, “If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve. People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed. Many suicides.”
The discussion then shifted to individuals prosecuted in connection with the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Welker asked whether those who assaulted police officers should be eligible for compensation.
Trump said he would need to review individual cases but claimed many defendants had been treated unfairly.
“The people were destroyed by dirty cops and by weaponization. Many of those people should be compensated,” he said.
Welker challenged several of Trump’s assertions, including his claims that federal agents had ushered protesters into the Capitol.
“There’s no evidence of that, sir,” Welker said.
The exchange grew increasingly contentious as Trump insisted there was “tremendous evidence” to support his claims while Welker pointed out that such allegations had not been proven in court.
The interview escalated further when the conversation turned to the 2020 presidential election. Trump again alleged that the election had been rigged and claimed similar misconduct was occurring in California.
“The election was rigged. It was a dirty election,” Trump said.
Welker pushed back, telling the president: “You’ve never presented evidence that the 2020 election was rigged.”
Trump responded by citing what he described as irregularities in California’s vote-counting process.
“You know why they’re doing that? Because they’re cheating on the election,” he said.
When Welker asked whether he had evidence to support the claim, Trump replied, “All I have to do is look. All I have to do is look. And I listen. And I listen to people.”
But Welker countered: “But that’s not evidence.”
The disagreement soon turned personal, with Trump accusing both Welker and the media of dishonesty.
“They’re crooked, just like you’re crooked. Your press is crooked. And Meet the Press is crooked,” Trump said.
Welker responded, “To be fair, I’m not crooked. But let’s continue.”
Trump then intensified his criticism, saying, “You’re either crooked or you’re stupid. You play right into their hands with this crap.”
As Welker continued attempting to steer the discussion back to the original topic, Trump repeatedly accused major media organisations of bias.
“Your elections are crooked. And you’re crooked. And Meet the Press is crooked. And so is ABC. And CBS. And CNN,” he said.
Moments later, the president ended the interview.
“Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time,” Trump said as he walked away.
Welker attempted to persuade him to continue, noting that she had travelled to Wisconsin for the interview.
“Mr. President, please. I travelled all the way to Wisconsin,” she said.
Trump defended his decision, saying, “I’ve sat in the rain with you for an hour. On and off in the rain. And I’ve given you enough time. You ought to straighten out your press. A country can never be great with a dishonest press.”
Despite the confrontation, Welker later told viewers that the two had spoken after the interview.
“I spoke with President Trump on Saturday. And 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,” she said.
The exchange marked one of the most contentious moments in Trump’s recent media appearances, highlighting ongoing disputes over election integrity claims, the treatment of January 6 defendants, and the relationship between the president and major U.S. news organisations.
