Daijiworld Media Network – Washington

Washington, Jun 8: US President Donald Trump abruptly ended a television interview with NBC’s Meet the Press after a heated exchange with moderator Kristen Welker over his repeated claims that American elections are being rigged.

The interview focused on Trump's allegations regarding the 2020 US presidential election and his concerns about vote counting procedures in California. The discussion eventually escalated into a confrontation, with Trump accusing the media of dishonesty before removing his microphone and walking out.

The exchange began as Trump defended his proposed “anti-weaponisation fund”, a plan he had previously announced to compensate individuals who believe they were unfairly targeted by the administration of former US President Joe Biden. The proposal has since stalled after the US Department of Justice indicated that it would not move forward.

Explaining the concept, Trump said the fund was intended to establish an independent group that would review individual cases and determine whether people had been wrongfully targeted. He also accused sections of the media and officials in the Biden administration of destroying the lives of innocent people through politically motivated actions.

Welker challenged those assertions, noting that no evidence had been presented to support such claims. As she attempted to move on to a question about acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and the future of the proposed fund, Trump interrupted and insisted that there was “tremendous evidence”.

The US President then renewed his allegations that the 2020 election had been rigged and claimed similar issues were occurring in California. He argued that delays in vote counting were evidence of wrongdoing, pointing to races that remained undecided several days after voting.

Welker responded that Republicans were performing well in California. Trump disagreed, alleging that delayed counting was affecting results. When the moderator pointed out that California permits ballots to be mailed up to Election Day, a process that often prolongs final counts, Trump claimed the system was being used to facilitate election fraud.

Pressed repeatedly to provide evidence, Trump maintained that his conclusions were based on what he observed and what he had heard from others, but did not present specific proof during the interview.

The conversation became increasingly tense as the two sparred over election procedures and media coverage. Trump accused election officials, journalists and major television networks of being dishonest and biased.

When Welker rejected suggestions that she was acting unfairly, Trump responded by accusing her and the media of either being dishonest or enabling what he described as a corrupt system.

As the exchange continued, Trump broadened his criticism to include several major US news organisations, accusing them of one-sided reporting. He then declared that he had “had enough”, removed his microphone and announced he was ending the interview.

Welker urged the President to continue the discussion, noting that she had travelled to Wisconsin for the interview. However, Trump defended his decision, arguing that a country could not be great with what he described as a dishonest press.

He then walked away, bringing the interview to an abrupt end.