President Donald Trump abruptly ended a contentious Meet the Press interview in Wisconsin on Sunday, tearing off his microphone and walking out after branding NBC anchor Kristen Welker crooked to her face.
The exchange, recorded for the long-running Sunday program, devolved into a clash over election integrity, a subject that has become a litmus test between establishment media and conservatives, according to WND. Welker pressed the president on the 2020 contest and ongoing vote counting in California, prompting Trump to reiterate his longstanding concerns about systemic abuse in the electoral process.
It was a dirty election and its happening right now again in California, Trump asserted, as the discussion turned to the states drawn-out ballot tally. Its four days [of counting votes], he said, highlighting what many on the right view as a featurenot a bugof mail-in-heavy systems that erode public confidence.
When Welker tried to counter with the claim that Republicans are doing well in California, Trump flatly rejected the narrative. No theyre not. Theyre dropping fast because its a rigged election. Theyre cheating on the election, he replied, before challenging the legitimacy of any process that cannot produce timely results: Do you think its appropriate that they have an election and five days later theyre nowhere close to picking a winner?
Welker responded with the standard bureaucratic defense, saying: State and local officials acknowledge they are slow. Trump was having none of it, firing back, No, theyre crooked. Just like youre crooked. Your press is crooked and Meet the Press is crooked.
The NBC host protested, To be fair, Im not crooked. Trump immediately sharpened his critique of the medias role in shielding questionable election practices, saying, Really? Well you play right into their hands then. Youre either crooked or youre stupid. You play right into their hands with this crap. You know that these elections are rigged. Your network knows that theyre rigged.
The president then broadened his indictment to the national press corps, declaring, Your elections in this country, were like a third-world country. Your elections are crooked, and youre crooked and Meet the Press is crooked and is so is ABC and CBS and CNN. Youre one-sided crooked networks. All right, lets call it quits because Ive had enough! Thank you darling, Have a good time!
As Trump moved to end the interview, Welker shifted into pleading mode, saying, Mr. President, lets, please, I traveled all the way to Wisconsin! Trump, underscoring both his patience and his frustration with legacy media, replied, Ive sat in the rain with you for an hour, and Ive given you enough time. You ought to straighten out your press because you know what? A country can never be great with a dishonest press.
With that, the president exited the set, leaving behind a stark reminder of the widening gulf between conservative America and the corporate media establishment that continues to dismiss or downplay concerns about election integrity.
Login