President Donald Trump and NBC’s Kristen Welker sat across from each other last week for what was supposed to be a routine interview. As rain repeatedly interrupted the conversation, Welker kept asking Trump what evidence supported his claims that elections are rigged and that Jan. 6 rioters were ushered into the U.S. Capitol by law enforcement.
Trump either couldn’t or refused to answer directly.
With each challenge, the exchange grew more heated until the president stopped answering altogether, redirected his anger toward yet another female journalist, and ultimately cut the interview short, then removed his microphone and stormed off the set.
The familiar clash became the defining moment of Trump’s latest appearance on “Meet the Press,” where the president repeatedly failed to provide evidence for his baseless assertions.
As Welker continued pressing him, Trump grew increasingly agitated, accused her and major news organizations of corruption, saying, “You’re either crooked, or you’re stupid.”
The wide-ranging interview, recorded last Friday on a Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, farm ahead of a political rally with farmers and aired on Sunday, covered Trump’s ongoing conflict with Iran, the economy, the upcoming midterm elections, and his controversial proposal known as the “anti-weaponization” fund.
Reporter Keeps Asking One Question Trump Doesn’t Want to Answer
The nearly $1.8 billion fund was designed to compensate people who claim they were unfairly targeted by government prosecutions. The proposal drew bipartisan outrage and was effectively shelved after legal challenges and opposition from lawmakers, but Trump indicated he still supported the concept.
“If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve,” Trump said. “If they get it approved, that’s great. If they don’t get it approved, I’d be disappointed.”
Welker pressed Trump on whether people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, including those who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers, could potentially receive compensation. Trump declined to rule that out and defended many of those involved in the riot.
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“The people were destroyed by dirty cops and by weaponization,” Trump said. “Many of those people should be compensated.”
He also repeated his claim that some of the rioters were “being ushered into the building” by law enforcement. Welker responded that there is no evidence supporting that.
The conversation became even more contentious when Trump pivoted to election integrity, once again claiming the 2020 election had been “rigged” and arguing that “it’s happening again right now in California,” where ballot counting continued days after the state’s primary election last week.
California law allows mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive for several days afterward and still be counted. Welker repeatedly noted that there is no evidence the California contest was rigged.
Trump argued otherwise.
“All I have to do is look,” he said.
“But that’s not evidence,” Welker replied.
Exchange Starts Spiraling Out of Control
The back-and-forth appeared to irritate the president, who increasingly shifted his focus away from the substance of the questions and toward attacks on the media.
“They’re crooked, just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. And ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” Trump said.
“To be fair, I’m not crooked,” Welker shot back. “But let’s continue.”
That’s when Trump went off the rails.
“You’re either crooked or you’re stupid,” the president said. “You play right into their hands with this crap. You know that these elections are rigged. Your network knows that they’re rigged.”
He continued attacking both Welker and major television networks.
“Your elections are crooked … And so is ABC and CBS and CNN.”
Trump Drops the Pretenses, Turns the Interview Into a Personal Attack
Trump also described NBC News as a “one-sided crooked network.”
The interview then came to a full stop.
“Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time,” Trump said before removing his microphone.
Welker tried to salvage the conversation.
“I traveled all the way to Wisconsin for this interview,” she protested.
Trump was unmoved.
“A country can never be great with a dishonest press,” the president said before standing up and walking away.
Viewers Say the Meltdown Started When Someone Finally Pushed Back
The confrontation added to a growing list of public clashes between Trump and female journalists. In recent months, he has traded barbs with Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey, ABC correspondent Rachel Scott, MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardner, and CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
Despite the heated ending, Welker later told viewers that she and Trump had maintained a cordial relationship off-camera and had both acknowledged the challenges posed by the loud rainstorm during the interview. She also said the president agreed to sit down for another “Meet the Press” interview.
The exchange nevertheless generated intense reactions online, where many viewers focused on Trump’s unwillingness to provide evidence for his claims and his decision to end the interview when challenged.
One commenter wrote: “I despise this motherf—er with the heat of a trillion suns. She tried to push back, but I wish she had said – ‘You saying it doesn’t make it true.’”
Another viewer remarked, “This is so hard to watch. He is an absolute a— to her. Spouting lies and getting angry that doesn’t back down.”
A third person argued: “Every true journalist should press him relentlessly on his corrupt, totally untruthful, sociopathic unethical, unconstitutional and lawless presidency. When Trump walks out on an interview America and the world win. He can’t argue the facts with nothing but lies.”
Others pointed to the difficult balance journalists face when interviewing a president known for erupting and cutting people off.
“Problem is, push him hard and he then cuts access. Maybe it’s best he sticks w/ Fox and Newsmax, but then we don’t get to see him saying the silent part out loud,” another commenter wrote.
