Trump Calls NBC News 'Fake News' After Reporter Fact-Checked His Jan 6 and Election Fraud Claims

US President Donald Trump left an NBC News interview aired on Sunday after being challenged by journalist Kristen Welker over his claims about the 6 January 2021 Capitol attack and alleged election fraud, later calling it 'fake news.'

The exchange was recorded on Friday in a barn in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, during a tense sit-down for NBC's Meet the Press programme.

During the interview, Trump was discussing a proposed $1.8 billion (£1.4 billion) 'anti-weaponisation' fund, a plan that has stirred criticism over concerns that it could benefit political allies, including individuals linked to the 6 January riot at the US Capitol.

The interview also revisited his decision at the start of his second term to pardon 172 people who had pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers during the attack, a move that remains deeply controversial in Washington.

Refuting the Jan 6 Riot

Tensions began to rise when Welker raised the question of whether those 172 individuals, all of whom had admitted to assaulting police officers, deserved financial payouts connected to the proposed fund. Trump did not directly address the premise.

Instead, he repeated a claim that has circulated among his supporters for years, suggesting without evidence that FBI agents had encouraged rioters inside the Capitol during the chaos of 6 January.

Welker pushed back, telling the president there was no evidence supporting that assertion. Trump replied simply, 'There's a lot of evidence,' but did not provide further detail or documentation during the exchange.

The exchange also reopened long-standing divisions over how the Capitol attack is interpreted politically. Official investigations and court proceedings have repeatedly documented the assault on police officers, while Trump and some of his allies have continued to challenge aspects of that record.

The interview did not resolve those competing narratives.

Trump's Election Fraud Claims

Attention then shifted to Trump's repeated claims about election integrity, including his assertion that the 2020 presidential election was 'rigged,' a contest he lost to Joe Biden. He also suggested that what he called a 'dirty' election was unfolding again in California, where several high-profile races are currently being counted under the state's top-two primary system.

Welker questioned him directly on whether he had evidence to support those claims. Trump replied, 'All I have to do is look,' without offering further explanation.

He also criticised election officials cited by Welker, calling them 'crooked', and escalated his remarks to include the press more broadly.

At one point, he said the journalist was 'either crooked' or 'stupid', and dismissed her credibility. His criticism extended to several US networks, including ABC, CBS, and CNN, which he accused of biased reporting.

The tone of the interview shifted sharply as the exchange progressed, with Trump increasingly becoming confrontational in his response to questioning.

Donald Trump: 'NBC Fake News'

The interview eventually broke down during what was already a strained session filmed inside a barn, where heavy rain could be heard throughout the recording.

Trump, visibly irritated, announced: 'Let's call it quits because I've had enough. Thank you darling. Have a good time,' before leaving the set. As he exited, he appeared to step on a microphone, though the moment passed quickly.

Trump himself later referenced the encounter during a farmers' roundtable in Wisconsin, attributing part of his frustration to the setting and the stormy conditions. 'I just did an interview in the most beautiful barn I've ever seen,' he said. 'It was a beauty, but it was raining. And it was with NBC fake news. And because it was raining, I got a little bit angry at them. I was not happy with them. But we had a good time.'

Following the broadcast, Welker said on the Sunday programme that she had followed up with Trump the next day, and that both had acknowledged the difficult conditions caused by the weather. She also noted that Trump had agreed to take part in another interview at a later date.