Trump Abruptly Ends NBC Interview After Exchange With Kristen Welker on Election Claims

President Donald Trump cut short a taped interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker on Sunday’s broadcast, removing his microphone and leaving the set after she pressed him for evidence supporting his claims that the 2020 presidential election and California’s recent primary elections were rigged.

The roughly 50-minute conversation, recorded Friday, June 5, at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, took place inside a barn amid heavy rain that forced several pauses. Trump was in the state for a roundtable discussion with farmers as part of his midterm outreach. Topics included the U.S. conflict with Iran, the economy, and a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund intended to compensate individuals the president says were improperly targeted by the Biden administration, including some linked to the January 6, 2021, Capitol events. The discussion shifted when Welker asked Trump to substantiate his repeated election-related assertions.

According to the full transcript released by NBC, Welker told Trump, “But sir, that’s not evidence… Mr. President, you’ve never presented evidence that the 2020 election was rigged.” Trump responded, “There’s tremendous evidence. There’s nothing but evidence. The election was rigged. It was a dirty election. And it’s happening again right now in California… They’re cheating on the election… All I have to do is look.”

He pointed specifically to the slow counting of mail-in ballots in California’s June 3 primaries for governor and Los Angeles mayor. Those ballots, which state officials note tend to favor Democrats and require more time to process, delayed final results in several races. California election administrators have described the timeline as standard procedure under state law, not evidence of irregularities.

The exchange escalated when Trump told Welker, “No, they’re crooked just like you’re crooked… You’re either crooked or you’re stupid… Your elections are crooked and you’re crooked, and Meet the Press is crooked. And so is ABC and CBS and CNN. You’re a one-sided crooked network. Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.” Welker asked him to continue, noting she had traveled to Wisconsin for the interview. Trump replied, “I’ve sat in the rain with you for an hour,” before standing and walking off.

A clip of the moment, shared widely on X by journalist Aaron Rupar, drew millions of views and sharply divided reactions. Trump supporters described the departure as a firm stand against what they viewed as unfair questioning but others saw it as an unwillingness to engage further on the topic.

Trump’s assertions about election integrity have been central to his public statements since 2020. Multiple lawsuits challenging that year’s results were dismissed by courts, many for lack of standing and others after review of the evidence. Independent audits, reviews led by Republicans in states including Arizona and Georgia, and statements from Trump’s own Attorney General William Barr found no widespread fraud sufficient to change the outcome. Similar scrutiny has applied to the California primaries: officials maintain the mail-ballot counting process follows long-standing rules and has not produced substantiated claims of systemic issues.

During the same interview, Trump defended the proposed “anti-weaponization” fund, which his administration has described as a mechanism to review and compensate people affected by what he calls government overreach. When asked whether payments might go to individuals convicted of assaulting police officers on January 6, Trump did not rule it out, citing concerns about “dirty cops” and alleged FBI involvement – points federal investigations and court records have not corroborated on a broad scale.

He said decisions would be made case by case by “fair people.”Welker later noted on Instagram that weather had complicated the recording but that the discussion still covered substantial ground on Iran, the economy, and the fund. Trump addressed the episode later at his Wisconsin event, acknowledging he “got a little bit angry” because of the rain while adding that overall they “had a good time.”

The incident comes as the country prepares for the 2026 midterms and continues to grapple with the aftermath of the 2020 election and January 6. Trump’s emphasis on election concerns has maintained strong support among millions of his backers, many of whom question the integrity of certain voting practices. At the same time, certified results, bipartisan election officials, and judicial rulings have affirmed the outcomes of those contests.

No additional interviews between Trump and “Meet the Press” have been scheduled, though Welker indicated they discussed the possibility of rescheduling once weather was no longer a factor.