Donald Trump exits after tense ‘Meet the Press’ interview
President Donald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” after Kristen Welker challenged baseless election claims.
- President Donald Trump walked out of an interview on “Meet the Press” over the weekend.
- Trump later told the audience that he was angry at the crowd because of the rain.
President Donald Trump predicted a violent ending to his interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” before the episode aired.
President Trump traveled to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, for an agriculture roundtable on June 5th, and before doing so, he sat in on a pre-recorded interview with Kristen Welker. The conversation turned to California’s primary election, where vote counting is still underway. He suggested the election was rigged, as was the case in 2020. Welker pointed to a lack of evidence.
“You’re either crooked or stupid,” Trump said when asked about the lack of evidence and tried to change the subject. “Your election is skewed, you are skewed, and ‘Meet the Press’ is skewed… You are a one-sided, skewed network. I’m sorry. Enough is enough. Let’s stop. Thank you, darling. Enjoy.”
Mr. Trump removed the microphone from his jacket and complained about the rain as Mr. Welker begged. When the interview aired on June 7, before the nation watched him leave, Trump blamed the rain for the outburst.
President Trump explains why he was angry in ‘Meet the Press’ interview
Mr. Trump and Mr. Welker met in a barn, but the interview was interrupted by the sound of rain hitting the metal roof. In a subsequent roundtable discussion, he said this was why he was angry.
“I just did an interview in the most beautiful barn I’ve ever seen,” Trump said on June 5. “It was beautiful, but it was raining. And it was fake news on NBC. It was raining, so I was a little mad at them. I wasn’t happy for them. But I had a good time.”
Trump also slammed reporters on several issues, including calling one reporter a “shut up, you pig” and another a “terrible reporter” when pressed about the Jeffrey Epstein case file.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Welker discussed the rain-interrupted interview the next day, he said, adding that Mr. Trump agreed to return to the “Meet the Press” interview at the end of Sunday’s segment from the show’s Washington studio.
Watch Kristen Welker’s interview with Trump on YouTube
Contributed by: Hope Karnopp, Joey Garrison, Jay Stahl, USA TODAY Network
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), thread, blue sky and TikTok.
