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Why Trump stormed out of NBC's Meet the Press interview with Kristen Welker: 'You're crooked, stupid'
A heated exchange over election fraud claims ended with President Trump abruptly cutting short his interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker
After discussing his baseless allegation that the California gubernatorial primary was "rigged," President Donald Trump abruptly stopped an interview with Kristen Welker of NBC News on Friday.
The NBC show, Meet the Press, which aired on June 7, escalated after Trump reiterated his unfounded allegation that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and claimed that "it's happening again right now" in California.
The interview had been recorded in Wisconsin on June 5 during Trump's trip to participate in an agricultural roundtable. NBC reported that the sit-down was meant to address Trump's domestic and international policy topics, such as the administration's legal agenda, immigration, Iran, and the economy.
Read more: Tina Peters: 5 things on election denier from Colorado freed from jail after sentence commuted
Trump's reason to walk out of the NBC interview: Clash with Welker over election claims
The most heated portion of the interview centered on Trump's repeated assertions that elections in the United States are compromised.
In reference to California's sluggish vote-counting procedure, the president stated that it has been four days, "and they aren't even close" to announcing the results. “Do you know why they’re doing that? Because they’re cheating on the election,” Trump said.
Welker repeatedly pressed Trump to provide evidence supporting his allegations about election fraud. “All I have to do is look,” Trump said when asked for evidentiary support of his statement.
He later asked Welker, “Do you think it’s appropriate that they have an election and five days later, they’re nowhere close to picking a winner?”
Welker responded that courts and election officials had not substantiated those claims, leading to a back-and-forth that quickly escalated. “They’re crooked, just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. And ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” Trump said.
Welker replied, “To be fair. I'm not crooked.”
Trump maintained, “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.” He continued, saying that the U.S. is “like a third-world country” when it comes to administering elections.
Trump eventually "had enough" and walked out of the interview after calling Welker and media outlets "crooked" a few more times.
He said, “Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”
Read more: Tina Peters' first reaction to commuted sentence: 'I made mistakes'
Welker checks the President
Welker also questioned him about the controversial $1.8 billion compensation fund, or the “weaponization fund” for the individuals who say the federal government unfairly targeted them for the Jan 6 incident.
Trump said, “If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve. People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed. Many suicides, think of it. People have committed suicide because a bunch of thugs went after them.”
Welker retaliated as the president made several accusations against individuals he thought had been wrongfully prosecuted, continually pointing out that Trump had provided no proof for his allegations.
"I love the idea, because people like you, the fake dirty press, the crooked press, people like stupid Biden, he's not smart enough to know what's going on, but people that surrounded him, surrounded his beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, what they did to the lives of people, they destroyed people. They sent people to jail who did nothing wrong," Trump said.
