‘Thank you, honey’: Trump storms out of NBC interview after calling interviewer ‘stupid’ – Video

U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker on Sunday before abruptly ending the television interview, accusing her and the major U.S. news network of “dishonesty” while defending his claims that the U.S. election was rigged.The confrontation escalated when Welker pressed Trump to provide evidence for what he has repeatedly alleged was election fraud. Trump responded by directly attacking the host.“Really? Well, then you’re playing into their hands. You’re either dishonest or you’re stupid,” Trump said after Welker rejected his suggestion that she was biased.According to the video that went viral on social media, Trump accused Welker and the American media of dishonesty before taking off the microphone and leaving the interview.The confrontation began when Welker questioned Trump’s proposed “anti-weaponization fund,” a plan to compensate those who believe they have been unfairly targeted by the Biden administration. The proposal stalled after the U.S. Department of Justice said it would not move forward.Trump has defended the idea, accusing the media and political opponents of destroying lives through what he says are politically motivated prosecutions.“I love this idea because people like you, the fake dirty media, the dishonest media, people like stupid Biden, who’s not smart enough to know what’s going on, but the people around him… what they do to people’s lives, they destroy people. They put people in jail who have done nothing wrong,” Trump said.The interview grew increasingly tense as Welker challenged Trump’s repeated claims that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was rigged and pressed him for evidence.Trump responded, insisting there was plenty of evidence.“Listen to me: There’s overwhelming evidence. There’s nothing but evidence. The election was rigged. It was a dirty election and now it’s happening again in California,” he said.Welker has repeatedly urged the president to provide evidence for his accusations. Instead, Trump pointed to the speed at which votes were being counted in California and accused election officials of cheating.As the exchange continued, Trump directed his criticism toward Welker and the media.“No, they’re crooked. They’re crooked, just like you’re crooked. Your press is crooked, your meetings with the press are crooked,” Trump said.When Welker replied that she wasn’t bent, Trump responded: “Really? Well, then you’re playing into their hands. You’re either bent or stupid.”The debate escalated as Trump expanded his attack to include major U.S. news networks.“Your election is illegitimate, you are illegitimate, access to the press is illegitimate, and so are ABC, CBS and CNN. You are a one-sided illegitimate network,” he said.After a while, Trump signaled that he was ending the interview.“Let’s just call it a day because I’ve had enough. Thank you, honey,” he told Welker before taking off the microphone.When the host urged him to continue, Trump defended his decision to leave.“I’ve given you enough time. You should clean up your media because you know a country will never become great because of a dishonest media,” he said before leaving.The latest confrontation adds to a growing list of clashes between Trump and reporters.Trump has also faced backlash in recent months for his interactions with female reporters. In November 2025, when Bloomberg reporter Katherine Lucey asked him about documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he told her “Quiet. Quiet, little piggy.”Later, he called ABC News reporter Mary Bruce a “terrible reporter” at a White House event and labeled ABC “fake news.” Trump has also publicly criticized CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins and other reporters covering his administration.