US President Donald Trump lashed out at NBC’s Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker before abruptly ending a television interview on Sunday and accusing her and major US news networks of being “devious” as he defended her claims that the US elections were rigged.The confrontation escalated when Welker pressured Trump to provide evidence for his repeated allegations of election fraud. Trump responded by attacking the moderator directly.After Welker rejected his claim of being biased, Trump said, “Really? Well, you play right into their hands. You’re either crooked or stupid.”According to the video going viral on social media, Trump accused Welker and the American media of dishonesty before removing his microphone and walking away from the interview.The confrontation began when Welker questioned Trump about his proposed ‘anti-weapons fund,’ a plan aimed at compensating people who believe they were unfairly targeted by the Biden administration. The proposal is stalled after the US Justice Department indicated it would not move forward.Defending the idea, Trump accused the media and political opponents of destroying lives through politically motivated prosecutions.Trump said, “I like the idea because people like you, the fake dirty press, the crooked press, people like idiot Biden, he’s not smart enough to know what’s going on, but the people who surround him… What they did to people’s lives, they destroyed people. They sent people to jail who did nothing wrong.”The interview became more tense when Welker challenged Trump’s repeated claims that the 2020 US presidential election was rigged and asked him to provide evidence.Trump responded by insisting that there was extensive evidence.He said, “Listen to me: There is overwhelming evidence. There is nothing but evidence. The election was rigged. It was a dirty election, and it’s happening again right now in California.”Welker repeatedly pressured the President to provide evidence for his allegations. Trump instead pointed to the speed of vote counting in California and accused election officials of fraud.As the exchange continued, Trump turned his criticism directly toward Welker and the media.“No, they’re crooked. They’re crooked, just like you’re crooked. Your press is crooked and Meet the Press is crooked,” Trump said.When Welker replied that she was not crooked, Trump responded: “Really? Well, you play right into their hands. You’re either crooked or you’re an idiot.”The debate escalated when Trump expanded the scope of his attack to include major US news networks.He said, “Your polls are crooked and you are crooked and Meet the Press is crooked, ABC, CBS and CNN are crooked. You are a one-sided crooked network.”Moments later, Trump indicated he was ending the interview.Before removing his microphone, he told Welker, “Let’s get this over with because I’ve been through a lot. Thank you, dear.”As the moderator urged him to continue, Trump defended his decision to walk away.Before leaving he said, “I have given you enough time. You should get your press in order because you know that a country can never become great with a dishonest press.”The latest confrontation adds to a growing list of clashes between Trump and journalists.Trump has also faced criticism for his exchanges with female journalists in recent months. In November 2025, when Bloomberg reporter Katherine Lucy questioned him about files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he said, “Shut up. Shut up, piggy”.He later called ABC News correspondent Mary Bruce “a terrible reporter” and labeled ABC “fake news” during a White House event. Trump has also publicly criticized CNN correspondent Kaitlyn Collins and other journalists covering his administration.