The Kabul Tribune (KT) — U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NBC after a tense exchange with presenter Kristen Welker over his claims that recent elections were “rigged.”
The interview, which aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,”
featured repeated challenges by Welker as Trump alleged that both California’s
ongoing primary elections and the 2020 presidential election were manipulated.
When asked to provide evidence regarding the California
vote, Trump responded, “All I have to do is look, and I listen.” Welker replied
that such statements did not constitute evidence.
Trump then accused the media of being “crooked” before
cutting the interview short, saying, “Sorry, let’s call it quits because I’ve
had enough.”
According to NBC, the interview was recorded Friday during
Trump’s visit to a farming event in Wisconsin and was interrupted multiple
times by technical issues and rain. The network reported that Trump walked out
approximately 50 minutes after the interview began.
The exchange came as part of a broader discussion covering
U.S. policy on Iran, where Trump said Washington’s involvement would be limited
and not lead to a prolonged conflict. “We’re there for a few months and the
threat is largely over,” he said.
Welker also questioned Trump about a previously proposed
$1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation” fund intended to compensate individuals who
claimed unfair government targeting. The proposal was later dropped after
criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans.
The conversation further turned to the January 6, 2021, U.S.
Capitol riot, where Trump reiterated his claim that the 2020 election was
rigged — a claim widely rejected by courts and election officials.
As the discussion returned to the California primary
elections, where vote counting was still ongoing in several races, Trump
alleged electoral fraud without presenting evidence, prompting further pushback
from Welker before the interview ended.
