United States President Donald Trump abruptly walked out of a televised interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press’ moderator Kristin Welker following a series of tense exchanges over his proposed compensation fund for alleged victims of government “weaponisation,” the prosecution of January 6 Capitol riot defendants, and his continued claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
The interview, which aired on Sunday, began with Welker questioning Trump about a proposed multi-billion-dollar fund aimed at compensating individuals whom he claimed were harmed by what he described as the federal government’s misuse of the justice system.
Asked whether he had abandoned the proposal amid court challenges and opposition in Congress, Trump defended the initiative, arguing that many Americans had suffered under the administration of former President Joe Biden.
“People have been hurt so badly by radical left lunatics that worked for the Biden administration and Sleepy Joe,” Trump said.
“They’ve committed suicide, they’ve lost their jobs, they’ve lost their families, they’ve lost their wives, they’ve lost everything over a fake weaponization of government.”
Pressed on whether he intended to revive the compensation plan, Trump said he would support it if given the opportunity.
“If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve. People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed. Many suicides,” he said.
The discussion later shifted to those prosecuted in connection with the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Welker asked whether individuals convicted of assaulting police officers during the attack should be eligible for compensation.
Trump said he would evaluate cases individually but insisted that many defendants had been unfairly treated.
“The people were destroyed by dirty cops and by weaponisation. Many of those people should be compensated,” he said.
Tensions escalated when Welker challenged Trump’s assertions that federal agents had ushered protesters into the Capitol.
“There’s no evidence of that, sir,” Welker said.
Trump disagreed, insisting there was “tremendous evidence” to support his claims, while Welker noted that such allegations had not been substantiated in court.
The interview became more heated when the conversation turned to the 2020 presidential election. Trump repeated his longstanding claim that the election had been stolen and alleged that similar irregularities were occurring in California.
“The election was rigged. It was a dirty election,” Trump said.
Welker responded, “You’ve never presented evidence that the 2020 election was rigged.”
Trump pointed to what he described as problems in California’s vote-counting process.
“You know why they’re doing that? Because they’re cheating on the election,” he said.
When Welker asked whether he had evidence to support the allegation, Trump replied, “All I have to do is look. All I have to do is look. And I listen. And I listen to people.”
“But that’s not evidence,” Welker countered.
The disagreement soon turned personal, with Trump accusing Welker and several major media organisations of dishonesty.
“They’re crooked, just like you’re crooked. Your press is crooked. And Meet the Press is crooked,” he said.
Welker rejected the accusation, responding, “To be fair, I’m not crooked. But let’s continue.”
Trump persisted with his criticism.
“You’re either crooked or you’re stupid. You play right into their hands with this crap,” he said.
As Welker attempted to steer the conversation back to policy issues, Trump broadened his attack to include other prominent American news outlets.
“Your elections are crooked. And you’re crooked. And Meet the Press is crooked. And so is ABC. And CBS. And CNN,” he said.
Moments later, the president brought the interview to an abrupt end.
“Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time,” Trump said as he walked away.
Welker appealed for him to continue, noting that she had travelled to Wisconsin for the interview.
“Mr. President, please. I travelled all the way to Wisconsin,” she said.
Defending his decision to leave, Trump replied, “I’ve sat in the rain with you for an hour. On and off in the rain. And I’ve given you enough time. You ought to straighten out your press. A country can never be great with a dishonest press.”
Despite the contentious exchange, Welker later revealed that she had spoken with Trump after the interview and that both acknowledged the difficulties posed by the weather during the outdoor sit-down.
“I spoke with President Trump on Saturday. And we both acknowledged the complications during the interview posed by the rain. He agreed to sit down with me for another Meet the Press interview,” she said.
The confrontation marked one of the most combative moments in Trump’s recent media appearances, highlighting his continued disputes with major US news organisations over election-related claims, the treatment of January 6 defendants, and broader debates about media credibility and public trust.
