On 7th June (local time), US President Donald Trump abruptly walked out of an NBC interview following a sharp exchange with journalist Kristen Welker over his claims of election fraud in California and the 2020 presidential election. During the interview for ‘Meet the Press’, Trump accused Welker, NBC, and several other media organisations of being “crooked” before ending the conversation abruptly.
Oh Wow.
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 7, 2026
Trump ended an interview with NBC's Kristen Welker mid-conversation in Wisconsin, calling her a liar to her face before walking off.
Trump: "The elections are like a 3rd world country. You're Crooked…let's call it Quits . I've had enough."
Welker asked him to stay,… pic.twitter.com/AqDmpCkXm6
Trump repeats election fraud claims
Reportedly, Trump got irked when Welker asked him to provide evidence for his claim that California officials were still unable to declare results days after the gubernatorial elections because “they are cheating on the election”. When Welker asked for evidence, Trump said, “All I have to do is look.” He also questioned whether it was appropriate for an election to remain undecided several days after polling.
Welker suggested that courts and election officials had not substantiated the claims he was making, which made the US president angry. He lashed out at her and said, “They’re crooked, just like you’re crooked. Your press is crooked. And Meet the Press is crooked.”
Welker tried to continue the interview and said she was not crooked. However, Trump was not in the mood to continue the interview. He said, “You are either crooked or you are stupid” and added that the US was being run like a “third world country” when it came to elections. He accused several media outlets, including NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and others, of being one sided.
‘I’ve had enough’
Then, Trump declared he had had enough and ended the interview. He said, “Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time,” before walking away. Welker tried to persuade him to stay and reminded him that she had travelled to Wisconsin for the interview. However, Trump stated that he had already sat with her in the rain and had given her enough time.
“You oughta straighten out your press,” Trump said, adding that “a country can never be great with a dishonest press.”
Clash over 6th January and media coverage
The claims of election fraud were not the only point of disagreement between Trump and Welker. Earlier in the interview, Welker questioned Trump about whether those who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officials during the 6th January Capitol riots should be eligible for compensation under his proposed “anti-weaponisation” fund. Trump avoided answering directly and suggested that many had accepted plea deals because they feared longer prison sentences.
The interview has again highlighted Trump’s attitude towards the US mainstream media. Not to forget, he has accused American media outlets of being biased, dishonest and politically hostile. The decision to walk out of the interview has added another layer to his long running confrontation with news networks, which, according to him, are mostly “fake”.
