‘I’ve had enough’: Trump clashes with journalist, rips off mic, and walks out mid-interview
As Kristin Welker challenged several of his claims, Donald Trump turned his criticism on the media, former President Joe Biden and election officials.
- Jun 8, 2026,
- Updated Jun 8, 2026 8:04 AM IST
US President Donald Trump walked out of a tense interview with NBC News's Meet the Press after anchor Kristen Welker repeatedly asked him to provide evidence for his claims that US elections, including vote counting in California, had been rigged. The exchange ended with Trump saying, "Let's call it quits because I've had enough. Thank you, darling," before removing his microphone and leaving.
The interview became increasingly heated after a discussion that moved from negotiations to end the war with Iran to Trump's proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponisation initiative, which he said was meant to compensate people who believed they had been unfairly targeted by the previous administration.
As Welker challenged several of his claims, Trump turned his criticism on the media, former President Joe Biden and election officials.
While speaking about the proposed fund, Trump said it was intended to create a group that would review cases individually. He then attacked the press and Biden, saying: "The weaponisation fund was going to set up a group of people... and they will go on an individual case basis." He added that "the fake dirty press" and "people that surrounded" Biden at the Resolute Desk had "destroyed people" and "sent people to jail who did nothing wrong".
When Welker pointed out that there was no evidence for some of his allegations, Trump replied: "Listen to me: There's tremendous evidence. There's nothing but evidence. The election was rigged. It was a dirty election, and it's happening again right now in California."
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Trump then pointed to California's slow vote count, saying it had been four days since voting and the state was still nowhere close to declaring results. Welker responded that California allows ballots mailed by election day to arrive later and still be counted, which often extends the process. Trump rejected that explanation, saying, "You know why they're doing that? Because they're cheating on the election."
Asked whether he had proof, he said: "All I have to do is look. All I have to do is look and I listen, and I listen to people and let's see what happens."
As the exchange continued, Trump asked Welker, "Do you think it's appropriate that they have an election and days later they're nowhere close to picking a winner?" Welker said election officials had acknowledged the slow pace of the count and were working to speed it up. Trump then widened his attack, saying California officials were "crooked", adding: "Your press is crooked and Meet the Press is crooked."
When Welker replied, "To be fair, I'm not crooked," Trump cut in: "You're either crooked or you're stupid."
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The interview carried on for several more minutes, with Trump accusing major television networks of unfair coverage and election-related bias, and saying the United States was like a "third-world country" when it came to running elections. "You're one-sided crooked networks," he said. He then ended the interview, removed his microphone and dropped it to the floor. When Welker said she had travelled to Wisconsin for the interview, Trump replied that he had "sat in the rain" with her "for an hour", adding: "I've given you enough time. You ought to straighten out your press because a country can never be great with a dishonest press."
The exchange followed another recent confrontation with a journalist. Days earlier, at a separate press event, Trump singled out CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins, calling CNN "a very corrupt organisation". He said Collins was "a young, beautiful woman who never smiles" and that he saw her "standing with hatred in her eyes", and he also told her to "be quiet" after she said Republicans had themselves criticised a Department of Justice fund under which those involved in the 6 January Capitol riot could have been eligible for payments.
US President Donald Trump walked out of a tense interview with NBC News's Meet the Press after anchor Kristen Welker repeatedly asked him to provide evidence for his claims that US elections, including vote counting in California, had been rigged. The exchange ended with Trump saying, "Let's call it quits because I've had enough. Thank you, darling," before removing his microphone and leaving.
The interview became increasingly heated after a discussion that moved from negotiations to end the war with Iran to Trump's proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponisation initiative, which he said was meant to compensate people who believed they had been unfairly targeted by the previous administration.
As Welker challenged several of his claims, Trump turned his criticism on the media, former President Joe Biden and election officials.
While speaking about the proposed fund, Trump said it was intended to create a group that would review cases individually. He then attacked the press and Biden, saying: "The weaponisation fund was going to set up a group of people... and they will go on an individual case basis." He added that "the fake dirty press" and "people that surrounded" Biden at the Resolute Desk had "destroyed people" and "sent people to jail who did nothing wrong".
When Welker pointed out that there was no evidence for some of his allegations, Trump replied: "Listen to me: There's tremendous evidence. There's nothing but evidence. The election was rigged. It was a dirty election, and it's happening again right now in California."
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Trump then pointed to California's slow vote count, saying it had been four days since voting and the state was still nowhere close to declaring results. Welker responded that California allows ballots mailed by election day to arrive later and still be counted, which often extends the process. Trump rejected that explanation, saying, "You know why they're doing that? Because they're cheating on the election."
Asked whether he had proof, he said: "All I have to do is look. All I have to do is look and I listen, and I listen to people and let's see what happens."
As the exchange continued, Trump asked Welker, "Do you think it's appropriate that they have an election and days later they're nowhere close to picking a winner?" Welker said election officials had acknowledged the slow pace of the count and were working to speed it up. Trump then widened his attack, saying California officials were "crooked", adding: "Your press is crooked and Meet the Press is crooked."
When Welker replied, "To be fair, I'm not crooked," Trump cut in: "You're either crooked or you're stupid."
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The interview carried on for several more minutes, with Trump accusing major television networks of unfair coverage and election-related bias, and saying the United States was like a "third-world country" when it came to running elections. "You're one-sided crooked networks," he said. He then ended the interview, removed his microphone and dropped it to the floor. When Welker said she had travelled to Wisconsin for the interview, Trump replied that he had "sat in the rain" with her "for an hour", adding: "I've given you enough time. You ought to straighten out your press because a country can never be great with a dishonest press."
The exchange followed another recent confrontation with a journalist. Days earlier, at a separate press event, Trump singled out CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins, calling CNN "a very corrupt organisation". He said Collins was "a young, beautiful woman who never smiles" and that he saw her "standing with hatred in her eyes", and he also told her to "be quiet" after she said Republicans had themselves criticised a Department of Justice fund under which those involved in the 6 January Capitol riot could have been eligible for payments.