US President Donald Trump abruptly ended a television interview with NBC News on Sunday after a heated confrontation with journalist Kristen Welker over his unsubstantiated claims that recent elections have been "rigged." The interview, which aired on NBC's long-running political programme Meet the Press, was recorded on Friday at a farm in Wisconsin, a midwestern state, where Trump was attending an event with agricultural workers.
The interview covered a range of topics, including the ongoing conflict with Iran, with Trump insisting that US action was necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and that the engagement would not become "an endless war." The conversation grew tense when Welker questioned Trump about a now-abandoned government proposal to create a $1.8 billion fund — described as an "anti-weaponisation" measure — intended to compensate individuals who claim they were unfairly targeted by law enforcement. The plan drew criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans, who warned it could result in payments to people convicted in connection with the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters disrupted the congressional certification of the 2020 election result.
The confrontation reached its breaking point when Trump repeated his long-standing, unsubstantiated claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, then pivoted to allege that ongoing vote-counting in California's current primary elections was also fraudulent. California's primaries, in which votes are still being tallied to determine which candidates advance to November's midterm ballot in races including the state governorship, routinely take several days to count due to the state's extensive use of mail-in ballots and a meticulous verification process. When Welker pressed Trump for evidence of fraud, he replied: "All I have to do is look, and I listen." She responded: "That's not evidence." Trump then called her "crooked" and, after further exchanges in which he told her she was "either crooked or stupid," declared: "Let's call it quits because I've had enough. Thank you darling, have a good time," before standing up and walking off the set.
The recording was also disrupted by a heavy rainstorm, with rain striking the barn's metal roof and causing repeated technical interruptions. NBC reported that Trump left approximately 50 minutes into the sitting. Claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 US presidential election have been extensively investigated and repeatedly rejected by courts, election officials, and independent bodies.
Despite the acrimonious ending, Welker confirmed after the broadcast that Trump had agreed to sit down for a follow-up interview on Meet the Press. Trump's combative relationship with mainstream media outlets is well established; he has long accused major broadcasters and newspapers of systematic bias against him. The White House had not commented at the time of publication.