President Donald Trump stormed out of a tense interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press' after being confronted over his unfounded claims of election fraud. The interview, which aired Sunday, was plagued by torrential rain and audio issues throughout.
Interview Disrupted by Weather
The interview was filmed Friday on a farm in Wisconsin, where Trump was addressing farmers. A tractor and hay bales served as the backdrop. Heavy rain pounded the roof, causing multiple interruptions. 'Is that wind or what?' Trump asked at one point. Later, he remarked, 'Hear that sound? That sound of thunder, lightning, rain.' When host Kristen Welker asked if they should stop, Trump replied, 'No. People will understand -- we're on a farm.'
Questions on Iran and Military
Welker pressed Trump on his Iran war strategy and campaign pledges to avoid foreign wars. Trump responded, 'First of all, I didn't guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?' He then accused Welker of being 'a big liberal, a big progressive.' She countered, 'No, I'm just a journalist.' Trump stated, 'I don't like these endless wars. This is not an endless war. We've been doing this for three months.'
Confrontation Over Election Fraud
The tone escalated when the discussion turned to Trump's proposed taxpayer-funded program to compensate alleged victims of partisan prosecution. 'I love the idea because people like you, the fake dirty press, the crooked press, people like stupid Biden ... they destroyed people. They sent people to jail who did nothing wrong,' Trump said. Welker responded, 'There is no evidence for what you're saying.' Trump then reiterated false claims that the 2020 election was 'rigged' and that last week's California primary was also rigged. When Welker asked for evidence, Trump shot back, 'You are either crooked or you're stupid,' before standing up and walking out of the camera's view.
Before leaving, Trump told Welker, 'You're a one-sided, crooked network. Sorry. Let's call it quits because I've had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.'
Aftermath
On Sunday, Welker told viewers that she had spoken with Trump on Saturday about the weather disruptions and that he had agreed to give her another interview.
