Donald Trump stormed out of an interview after he was challenged about his claims of election fraud in the California primaries.
The US president sid journalist Kristen Welker must be “crooked or stupid” as he became visibly frustrated by questions about election fraud during NBC’s Meet the Press.
Mr Trump was repeateing his long-running claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him and alleged there was cheating in ongoing elections in California.
“The election was rigged, it was a dirty election and it’s happening again right now in California,” he said.
When Welker pressed him for evidence, Trump failed to provide any, instead arguing: “All I have to do is look … and I listen to people and let’s see what happens.”
View 2 ImagesThe exchange quickly became heated, with Trump accusing the media of being dishonest.
“They’re crooked, just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked and Meet the Press is crooked,” he said.
As Welker continued trying to return to her questions, Trump suddenly cut the interview short.
“Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough, thank you, darling, have a good time,” he said before walking off set and crushing his lapel microphone underfoot.
The dramatic exit brought an abrupt end to what had been billed as a wide-ranging interview covering the economy, interest rates and tensions with Iran.
The incident garnered significant attention in the US. CNN anchor Jake Tapper called it “wild, unhinged stuff” from a president who could not handle being politely challenged on his constant conspiracy theories.
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Mr Trump was also questioned about the $1.776 billion fund, which was created as part of a settlement ending his legal battle with the Internal Revenue Service. The money is intended to compensate people who claim they were victims of politically motivated prosecutions, including some supporters involved in the January 6 Capitol riot.
Despite the fund being effectively blocked after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said it had been permanently halted, Trump insisted he wanted it to go ahead.
“If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve,” Trump said. “People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed. Many suicides, think of it.”