President Donald Trump broke off an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday after host Kristen Welker challenged his false claims about elections and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough,” he said after a tense exchange lasting about four minutes. “Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”
He then stood up and walked off the set in a barn in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, taped before an event focused on farmers that Trump held there Friday.
An NBC spokesperson declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump appeared to become agitated when Welker asked him about the $1.8 billion fund he has sought to pay people claiming they were victims of politicized prosecutions. The Justice Department agreed to set up the fund to settle the president’s lawsuit against the IRS, but officials backed off amid court challenges and pushback from Republican senators.
The president said on “Meet the Press” that he still wanted to establish the fund.
“If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve,” he said. “If they get it approved, that’s great. If they don’t get it approved, I’d be disappointed.”
Welker pressed Trump specifically on whether the 172 people who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6 attack would be eligible for money. Trump declined to rule it out, arguing that FBI agents invited the rioters inside the Capitol and that...
President Donald Trump repeated his claim that primary elections in California were rigged on Sunday, as the state continued to count the votes from several key races. Echoing his false claims abou...