In a chaotic, weather-disrupted interview filmed on a Wisconsin farm on June 5, 2026, during US President Donald Trump’s visit for a rural economy roundtable, Trump abruptly walked out mid-conversation after host Kristen Welker of *Meet the Press* pressed him to back up his long-debunked false claims of election fraud. The outdoor interview, set against a backdrop of farm tractors and hay bales, was repeatedly interrupted from the start by severe thunderstorms. Torrential rain hammered the structure’s roof, creating deafening audio disruptions that forced multiple pauses. When Welker asked if the crew should halt recording to wait out the storm, Trump insisted on continuing, saying, “No. People will understand — we’re on a farm.”
After working through the weather issues, the conversation shifted to Trump’s strategy around Iran and his past campaign promises to keep the United States out of endless foreign conflicts. Pushed on his approach, Trump pushed back against Welker’s questioning, rejecting his earlier pledge to avoid new wars. “First of all, I didn’t guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?” he said, before labeling Welker a “big liberal, a big progressive.” When Welker clarified she was only doing her job as a journalist, Trump added that his current actions in the region did not amount to another endless conflict: “I don’t like these endless wars. This is not an endless war. We’ve been doing this for three months.”
Tensions flared again when the discussion turned to Trump’s newly proposed “weaponization fund” — a taxpayer-funded program that would compensate individuals he claims were wrongfully prosecuted under the previous Biden administration. Speaking angrily, Trump lashed out at the press and his predecessor: “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.” When Welker pushed back, noting there was no evidence to support his claims, the conversation devolved further.
It was at this point that Trump doubled down on his repeated false assertions that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, adding that last week’s California primary was also stolen. When Welker held her ground and repeatedly asked him to produce evidence to back up these claims, Trump erupted. “You are either crooked or you’re stupid,” he told the host, before standing up and storming out of the frame, ending the interview early as Welker attempted to get him to stay.
In on-air remarks Sunday when the interview was broadcast, Welker told viewers that she had spoken with Trump the day after the confrontation to address the weather disruptions that had complicated the recording, and that Trump had agreed to reschedule a full interview with NBC at a later date.