Trump abruptly ends NBC interview after clash over California, claims 2020 election fraud | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NBC News after a heated exchange with anchor Kristen Welker over his claim that the California election and the 2020 presidential race were “rigged.”
The confrontation occurred during an interview that aired on June 7, when Welker challenged Trump’s allegations of voter fraud and vote-counting practices in California.
Discussing California’s June 2 primary election, Welker noted that Republicans performed competitively in several races and explained that the vote-counting process in California often takes several days.
Trump responded by claiming the delay in counting the votes was evidence of wrongdoing.
“You know why they’re doing it? Because they’re rigging the election,” Trump said.
Welker is contesting the fraud charges
Welker rejected the president’s claims, noting that California election officials have repeatedly defended the state’s vote-counting procedures and that Trump has not presented evidence to support claims of widespread fraud.
The discussion quickly became confrontational.
Trump has accused both NBC News and its flagship political program of bias.
“They are crooked just like you, your press is crooked and ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” Trump told Welker.
Welker denied the allegations, but Trump continued to criticize the media, claiming that journalists aid political opponents.
Trump revives election claims in 2020
The conversation then shifted to Trump’s longstanding allegations regarding the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to former President Joe Biden.
“The election was rigged. It was a dirty election,” Trump said.
Welker responded that Trump had not produced evidence to show that the election was stolen from him, leading to another tense exchange.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the 2020 election was fraudulent, even though courts, election officials and multiple investigations have found no evidence of widespread fraud that would have changed the outcome.
‘Let’s say it ends’
As the argument continued, Trump signaled that the conversation was ending.
“Sorry. Let’s say it ends because I’ve had enough,” Trump said.
“Thank you, sweetie. Have a good time.”
Welker tried to continue the discussion, reminding Trump that she had traveled to Wisconsin for the interview, which was conducted during his visit to the battleground state ahead of the midterm elections.
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Trump mentions the weather and the length of the interview
The president defended his decision to shorten the interview by pointing to the conditions under which it was conducted.
“I sat with you in the rain for an hour,” Trump said.
When Welker tried to continue the conversation, Trump reiterated that he had spent enough time answering questions.
“On and off in the rain and I’ve given you enough time,” he said.
“You should straighten the print.
“A country can never be great with a dishonest press”
Before ending the interview, Trump offered a broader criticism of the media.
“A country can never be great with a dishonest press,” he said.
The interview ended shortly after, ending the contentious exchange.
California racing in the spotlight
The dispute began during a debate over California’s primary election, where candidates from all parties compete on a single ballot under the state’s “jungle primary” system, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the general election.
Among the contested races were contests involving conservative Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt and Trump-backed gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, both of whom advanced but faced strong competition from Democratic opponents.
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