Trump storms – President Trump abruptly ended an NBC News interview with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker after she pressed him on claims the California election was “rigged.” The exchange followed his assertion that officials were “cheating” and his broader insistence tha
President Trump didn’t just disagree with Kristen Welker on Sunday’s Meet the Press. He cut the interview short.
The moment came during a lengthy conversation in Wisconsin. aired on the NBC program. after Welker pushed back on Trump’s claims that the California election held Tuesday was “rigged.” Trump had been repeating recent allegations that California officials were “cheating. ” saying that after four days they “aren’t even close” to finishing the count.
Welker challenged him directly: “Do you have evidence to support that?” Trump responded, “All I have to do is look.”
Welker pushed back again, saying, “But sir, that’s not evidence. That’s how they count the votes in California.” She added that state and local officials acknowledge they are slow.
Then the conversation turned sharper. Trump accused Welker and the network of dishonesty. “No, they’re crooked … just like you’re crooked. Your press is crooked and ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” he said. He escalated further. saying. “You’re either crooked or you’re stupid.” He continued. “You know that these elections are rigged. Your network knows that they’re rigged.”.
The back-and-forth continued until Trump decided to “call it quits.” He removed the microphone from his lapel, tossed it to the floor, and said, “I’ve had enough.” He added, “Thank you, darling, have a good time.”
As Welker tried to persuade him to keep going, Trump delivered another blunt line before walking off: “A country can never be great with a dishonest press.”
The confrontation unfolded against a backdrop of mounting pushback over claims that California Democrats were cheating after a Los Angeles mayoral race vote-count update was misread late on election night. The narrative being spread claimed that in one vote-count update, one candidate received zero votes. A veteran Democratic statewide official’s lead and a narrowing local race were also part of what Trump was reacting to in real time during the interview.
On Sunday, more than 70% of the vote was in. In the California governor’s race. veteran Democratic politician Xavier Becerra was about a percentage point ahead of Republican Steve Hilton. In the Los Angeles mayoral race. the gap between former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt and City Councilmember Nithya Raman narrowed to about a percentage point.
First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli moved to counter the false narrative after the misreading took off. He said on X that the claim was false, and that “each candidate received votes in every update.”
Essayli also posted that his office has pursued election-related scrutiny while coordinating with federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. He confirmed on X that his office “has multiple election fraud investigations underway. ” in coordination with the FBI in Los Angeles. In a separate post. Essayli urged people to come forward. writing. “We want to hear from you. ” and adding. “Please do not send rumors. theories. or second-hand information.”.
Trump Meet the Press Kristen Welker NBC News California election rigged vote count Xavier Becerra Steve Hilton Los Angeles mayoral race Nithya Raman Spencer Pratt Bill Essayli FBI