Former US President Donald Trump prematurely ended an interview for NBC News' "Meet the Press" program. The incident occurred during filming in Wisconsin after moderator Kristen Welker questioned Trump's claims about alleged election fraud and the integrity of trials under Joe Biden's administration. Trump ended the interview, stating he had "had enough" of such questions.
The confrontation began when Trump accused the Biden administration of imprisoning people who, according to him, had committed no wrongdoing. When the moderator pointed out that there was no evidence for such claims and tried to steer the conversation toward acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump insisted on his stance. "There's plenty of evidence. There's a tremendous amount of evidence. There's nothing but evidence," the politician declared.
The situation further escalated when Trump reiterated his claims about the rigged 2020 election and then shifted to current events in California. He claimed that the elections there are rigged, which he believes is why Republicans are losing ground there. When Welker asked him what facts he based his claims on, Trump responded with a personal attack on both the moderator and the entire NBC media network.
"They're nasty, just like you're nasty, your press is nasty and 'Meet the Press' is nasty," Trump said in response to the questions.
When the moderator objected and tried to continue the discussion, Trump accused her of "playing into the hands" of those who manipulate elections. "You're a one-sided, nasty network. I'm sorry. Let's end it, because I've had enough of it," Trump declared and refused to continue the interview despite the moderator's reminder that the crew had traveled all the way to Wisconsin for him. Before leaving, he added that the country cannot be great with a dishonest press.
Despite the stormy end of the meeting, Kristen Welker stated after the broadcast of the recording that she had also spoken with Trump on Saturday and that the politician had agreed to another, follow-up interview. However, the date and location of the future meeting have not yet been specified.