US President Donald Trump ended a television interview on NBC early after an argument with the host about elections in California that he considers unfair. The Republican told journalist Christine Welker that she was “either stupid or a crook” and left the shoot.
The interview first aired in its entirety on Sunday, June 7, but was filmed earlier this week during Trump's trip to Wisconsin. There, the president held an event with farmers in connection with the upcoming US Congressional elections in November.
The reason for the conflict was the topic of the primaries (primary elections) in California on June 2 for the posts of governor and mayor of Los Angeles. Trump once again said in an interview that his victory in the 2020 election was “stolen” and added that the same thing is now happening in California.
Trump's disagreement was sparked by Welker's comment that Republicans “did pretty well” while votes were still being counted.
“They're going down because it's a rigged election,” Trump told the reporter about the vote count.
Asked by Welker to provide evidence for her claims, Trump initially responded that it was enough to “look at the situation” and “talk to people.”
“Do you think it’s normal for an election to be held and five days later there is no winner?” – Trump noted.
After Welker's remark that California always takes a long time to sum up election results, Trump said that local authorities are “cheating” just as Welker and the rest of the media are “cheating.”
“Sorry, let’s end this because I’ve had enough. Thank you, honey, good luck,” Trump said, removing the microphone from his jacket lapel.
In response to Welker's complaint that she came to Wisconsin for an interview with Trump, the president replied that he spoke with her for an hour in the rain and that that was enough time. Filming against the backdrop of agricultural machinery had been interrupted several times due to bad weather. As a result, Trump patted the journalist on the shoulder and left the frame.
WOW — Trump crashes out and cuts his interview with Welker short as she presses him on his lack of evidence for claiming elections are rigged
“You're either crooked or you're stupid. Let's call it quits. Because I've had enough. Thank you darling,” he tells her.”
“I traveled… pic.twitter.com/qQaNIDnX4y
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 7, 2026
As of Sunday, when the interview aired, Republicans in primary races in California maintained their second-place finishes and a chance of getting on the November ballot. The first candidates to make it through the primaries (they are held in the state on a non-partisan basis) were two Democrats. Former US Secretary of Health Javier Becerra will definitely compete for the post of governor of California, and the current mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass will compete for re-election.
Their competitors in November could be either Republicans Steve Hilton and Spencer Pratt, respectively, or other representatives of the Democratic Party, Tom Steyer and Nithya Raman, catching up with them as the counting continues. Trump expressed official support for the candidacies of Hilton and Pratt.
