President Donald Trump walked off the set of NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday after host Kristen Welker challenged him to produce evidence for his claims of election fraud in California — calling her “crooked or stupid,” saying “I’ve had enough,” removing his microphone, and leaving.
NBC taped the interview on Friday at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, during Trump’s visit to the state, and aired it Sunday morning. It covered the US-Iran war, energy prices, and Trump’s proposed $1.8-billion “anti-weaponization” fund before the final six-minute block collapsed into the walkout.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had announced the administration would not move forward with the fund, which would have compensated individuals who claim to have been targeted by Biden-era DOJ prosecutions — including participants in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. Trump told Welker he still backed the idea in principle. “I love the idea,” he said, “because people like you, the fake dirty press, the crooked press… they destroyed people. They sent people to jail who did nothing wrong.”
Read: Trump’s Anti-Weaponization Fund Is ‘Dead for Now’
Welker pressed him directly: “Are you backing off the fund completely as your acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, has said, or are you looking for another avenue to revive the fund?” Trump said he did not know what would happen with it.
The exchange broke down when Welker turned to California’s June 2 primary elections, where vote-counting remained ongoing days after polls closed. Trump claimed the delay indicated fraud.
“The election was rigged. It was a dirty election. And it’s happening again right now in California,” he said.
“Just to be very clear, there’s no evidence of what you’re saying,” Welker replied.
“There’s a lot of evidence,” Trump said. “There’s tremendous evidence. There’s nothing but evidence.”
“Well, it’s not been presented in a court of law,” Welker said.
Trump then accused Welker, NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN of bias. “You’re either crooked or you’re stupid,” he told her, before addressing the camera: “You’re a one-sided crooked network. Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.” He removed his microphone and left the set.
Republican Spencer Pratt held second place on election night, leading third-place Democratic candidate Nithya Raman by more than 40,000 votes and putting him on track to advance to the November runoff under California’s top-two primary system. Late-arriving mail-in ballots have since narrowed that margin.
California law allows ballots postmarked by election day to be counted for several days afterward — a standard process Republicans have repeatedly contested. First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli has said he is examining questions raised about the count.
Before the walkout, Trump addressed several other topics. On Iran, he dismissed the “no new wars” pledge from his 2024 campaign: “I didn’t guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?” He said US forces would remain in the Persian Gulf regardless of any ceasefire agreement.
On energy prices, which have risen since Operation Epic Fury commenced, Trump told Welker they would fall “as soon as the war’s over.” Welker noted that 70% of farmers said they could not afford fertilizer; Trump did not directly address the figure.
NBC News published a fact-check of Trump’s interview claims shortly after the broadcast aired on Sunday.
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