President Donald Trump cut short an interview with NBC News anchor Kristen Welker after a contentious exchange over his claims about California’s governor’s race and broader concerns about election administration.
The interview, recorded in Wisconsin and aired Sunday on “Meet the Press,” ended abruptly when Trump removed his microphone and walked away following several minutes of disagreement with Welker. The confrontation centered on Trump’s assertion that California’s ongoing vote-counting process was evidence of election misconduct.
During the discussion, Trump repeated his long-standing claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and argued that similar problems were occurring in California’s gubernatorial primary. The president pointed to the state’s extended ballot-counting timeline as proof that something was wrong.
“It’s happening again right now,” Trump said while discussing the California race.
California election officials were still processing ballots days after the primary election. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra advanced to the November general election and held a narrow lead over Republican Steve Hilton as vote counting continued. Hilton remained ahead of Democrat Tom Steyer, though election analysts had not yet formally projected the second candidate who would advance.
Trump criticized the pace of the count, saying, “Do you know why they’re doing that? Because they’re cheating on the election.”
Welker pressed the president on whether he had evidence supporting the allegation. Trump replied, “All I have to do is look.”
The exchange grew increasingly tense as Welker continued questioning him about the claims. Trump challenged the legitimacy of California’s election process and asked, “Do you think it’s appropriate that they have an election and five days later, they’re nowhere close to picking a winner?”
As the discussion continued, Trump broadened his criticism beyond election officials and directed it toward the media.
“They’re crooked, just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. And ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” Trump remarked.
Welker responded, “To be fair. I’m not crooked,” while attempting to move the conversation forward.
Trump answered, “You’re either crooked or you’re stupid. You play right into their hands with this crap. You know that these elections are rigged. Your network knows that they’re rigged.”
The interview later shifted briefly to questions involving acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, but Trump returned to criticizing the nation’s election system and major news organizations.
“Your elections are crooked, and you’re crooked, and ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” he continued. “And so is ABC and CBS and CNN.”
He also described NBC News as a “one-sided crooked network.”
Moments later, Trump ended the interview.
“Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time,” the president said before removing his microphone and tossing it to the ground.
Welker objected, noting that she had traveled to Wisconsin for the interview. Trump responded that he had already given her “enough time.”
As he prepared to leave, the president delivered one final criticism of the media.
“A country can never be great with a dishonest press,” Trump remarked.
He then stood up and walked away, bringing the interview to an abrupt close.
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