Trump angrily cuts short NBC interview – dispute over election fraud allegations escalates

The real break came, however, on the topic of election fraud. Welker pointed out to Trump that there is "no evidence" of election manipulation in the US. To Trump's statement that he merely had to "look at" the evidence, she replied: "That is not evidence." Trump repeated in the conversation his claim that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from him – a vote he had lost to the Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Beyond that, he alleged that the primaries in California were also being manipulated.

The mood then escalated. Trump called NBC a "one-sided, corrupt network" and said verbatim: "You're corrupt, and 'Meet the Press' is corrupt, and so are ABC and NBC and CNN – one-sided, corrupt broadcasters. Let's end it, because I've had enough." He stood up to end the conversation. Welker tried to salvage the situation, but Trump no longer responded. With the words "Sorry. Let's call it quits because I've had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time." he left the show.

Dispute over frozen billions

Despite the abrupt ending, Welker managed – according to sources close to the production – to ask Trump a few more questions. These included his strategy in the Iran war and the development of gas prices. The audience, however, received only brief statements with substantive content on these topics.

On the issue of Iran, Trump ruled out the release of frozen Iranian assets as part of a deal with Tehran. In response to a corresponding question, he said: "Nein. Das kommt später." At the same time, he expressed a basic willingness to talk: "Wenn sie sich gut benehmen, wenn sie einen guten Job machen, beginnen wir mit den Gesprächen."

Background: Iran's demands on Washington

The background to the negotiations is Iran's demand that frozen billions be released as a condition for a permanent end to the war. According to Mohsen Resai, the military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the sticking point in the talks lies precisely in this dispute over the funds. Tehran is demanding the payout of the blocked funds, he said.

According to information from the news agency AFP, citing sources familiar with the matter, the US Treasury Department is examining using the frozen Iranian funds as compensation for Gulf states that were attacked by Iran. The funds would thus flow not – as Tehran demands – to the Iranian government.

Overall, the incident illustrates the strained relationship between Trump and parts of the US media landscape. It fits into a series of public disputes in which the President has broadly criticized established broadcasters as partisan. The Sunday broadcast reached an audience of millions and immediately triggered discussions about how to handle claims of election fraud and about the state of political journalism in the US.

Trump's remark, widely criticized in the industry as inappropriate, of addressing his interlocutor as "darling" reinforced the already heated impression. Observers interpreted the appearance as further evidence of how little willingness there is to allow unsubstantiated claims about the outcome of the 2020 election in a controlled media interview.