Get a Spine

The unacknowledged problem is not Donald Trump's bellgerence, hatred, or even his inability to get up on his unknown from NBC's KristenWelker, without holding onto her to avoid falling down. The following is the portion of the interview on Meet the Press which Welker conducted with the President, which has outraged so many. (Skip to the last sentence, if you wish, for the most important statement.)

KRISTEN WELKER:
This $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund that’s going to compensate people who say the federal government weaponized the legal system against them. It’s been blocked by the courts, met with opposition from Republicans –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
And Democrats.

KRISTEN WELKER:
– in Congress, and Democrats.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Most, excuse me, mostly Democrats.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Mostly Democrats and some Republicans.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Some. Very few Republicans.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Just to be very clear, are you backing off the fund completely as your acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has said, or are you looking for another avenue to revive the fund?

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
So let – let me explain what the fund is. People have been hurt so badly by radical left lunatics that worked for the Biden administration and Sleepy Joe. They’re vicious. They’re violent, what they did to people. And of course they went after me more than anybody else. They raided Mar-a-Lago and all the other things. But people have been badly hurt. They’ve committed suicide. They’ve lost their jobs. They’re lost their families. They’ve lost their wives. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost everything over a fake weaponization of government. Now, let me just tell you –

KRISTEN WELKER:
So are you looking for a way to revive it?

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Well, look. If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve. People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed. Many suicides, think of it. People have committed suicide because a bunch of thugs went after them.

KRISTEN WELKER:
You don’t –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
So me, personally, I think the weaponization fund is a great idea, and so do many other Republicans. You have to get it approved. If they get it approved, that’s great. If they don’t get it approved, I’d be disappointed.

KRISTEN WELKER:
All right. We’re going to motor through this.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
But you have to understand, people have — have been destroyed by crooked politicians, and they should be reimbursed for that.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Do you think anyone who attacked police officers on January 6th should get taxpayer money?

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
I wouldn’t be inclined to say so, but I have to see it. I can tell you this: 97% of those people, you look at them, the FBI or whoever it was, cause you had a lot of crooked cops, you had dirty cops. Comey was a dirty cop.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, there is no evidence to –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
A guy like Bolton was a dirty cop –

KRISTEN WELKER:
But there is no evidence that-- but there’s no evidence that people who –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Wait a minute, wait a minute. Oh, you think Comey was a straight cop?

KRISTEN WELKER:
We had 170 people who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Comey was a dirty cop.

KRISTEN WELKER:
No, no, but the people who assaulted police officers.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP
They had FBI – listen to me. They had FBI agents ushering them into the building. They had FBI “Go into the building.” Those people are walking around, they’re looking, “Oh, isn’t this nice?” They weren’t in-- they were being ushered into the building.

KRISTEN WELKER:
There’s no evidence of that, sir. There’s no evidence of that.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
You had a bunch of dirty cops, and frankly, what they did was weaponization of our government.

KRISTEN WELKER:
But sir, there-- there’s no evidence of that. More than a thousand people pleaded guilty to crimes –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
No, well, yeah, no, there’s none. You know what they do?

KRISTEN WELKER:
Would you –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Try looking at the tapes one time.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Would you take it off the table?

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Look at the tapes one time.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Okay, but 172 people did plead guilty to assaulting police officers.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
You know why they pled guilty?

KRISTEN WELKER:
Should they be exempt –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Because they told they were going to jail for 15 years –

KRISTEN WELKER:
– from receiving funds?

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
– if they didn’t.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Should they –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
They pled guilty because they were frightened. They went down. They were ushered into a building. Many of them were arrested without even going into the building.

KRISTEN WELKER:
You’d be okay with them receiving taxpayer dollars?

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
The people were destroyed by dirty cops and by weaponization. Many of those people should be compensated. Now, with that being said, the, as I understand it, the weaponization fund was going to set up a group of people, people that could be picked by anybody, fair people, smart people, and they will go on an individual case basis.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Okay.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Now, I don’t know what’s going to happen with the weaponization fund. I love the idea, because people like you, the fake dirty press, the crooked press, people like stupid Biden, he’s not smart enough to know what’s going on, but people that surrounded him, surrounded his beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, what they did to the lives of people, they destroyed people. They sent people to jail who did nothing wrong.

KRISTEN WELKER:
All right, this is, just to be very clear, there’s no evidence of what you’re saying, but let me ask about Todd Blanche.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
There’s a lot of evidence.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Let me ask about Todd Blanche.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Listen – listen to me – listen to me.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Let’s talk about Todd Blanche.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
There’s tremendous evidence. There’s nothing but evidence.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, it’s not been presented in a court of a law.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
The election was rigged. It was a dirty election.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Mr. President –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
And it’s happening again right now in California.

KRISTEN WELKER:
– you’ve never presented evidence –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
It’s happening right now in California.

KRISTEN WELKER:
– that the 2020 election was rigged.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Right now, it’s, look at what’s happening in California.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Where’s the evidence to that?

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
It’s four days –

KRISTEN WELKER:
The Republicans are doing well in California.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
In California, it’s, no they’re not. They’re dropping fast because it’s a rigged election. Let me tell you, it’s four days and they aren’t even close to coming up with the –

KRISTEN WELKER:
That’s how they count the votes in California.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Do you know why they’re doing that? Because they’re cheating on the election.

KRISTEN WELKER:
There’s – What? Do you have evidence to support that?

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
It’s-- all I have to do is look. All I have to do is look.

KRISTEN WELKER:
But that’s not evidence.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
And I listen. And I listen to people. And let’s see what happens.

KRISTEN WELKER:
But sir, that’s not evidence–

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Do you think it’s appropriate–

KRISTEN WELKER:
That’s how they count the votes in California–

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Do you think it’s appropriate that they have an election and five days later, they’re nowhere close to picking a winner?

KRISTEN WELKER:
State and local officials acknowledge they are slow. They’re urging--

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
No, they’re crooked.

KRISTEN WELKER:
– they’re urging the votes to be counted quickly. That’s how they vote in California.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
They’re crooked just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. And Meet the Press is crooked.

KRISTEN WELKER:
To be fair, I’m not crooked. But let’s continue.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Really? Well, you play right into their hands then.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Let’s continue.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
You’re either crooked or you’re stupid.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Let’s continue.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
You play right into their hands with this stuff. You know that these elections are rigged. Your network knows that they’re rigged. Do you know that I won an election in a landslide and I got 94% bad press.

KRISTEN WELKER:
But Mr. President –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
You know why I got that?

KRISTEN WELKER:
– you’ve never presented –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Because you have no credibility.

KRISTEN WELKER:
–evidence. But you’ve never presented evidence it was rigged. Let’s keep talking about, I want to talk about Todd Blanche.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
You have more evidence, there’s more evidence than ever presented.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Let’s talk about--

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Your elections in this country –

KRISTEN WELKER:
– you went to court.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
We’re like a third world country.

KRISTEN WELKER:
But sir –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Your elections are crooked and you’re crooked, and Meet the Press is crooked.

KRISTEN WELKER:
But Mr. President–

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
And so is ABC and CBS and CNN.

KRISTEN WELKER:
But Mr. President –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
You’re a one-sided crooked network. Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.

KRISTEN WELKER:
Mr. President, let’s – please, I traveled all the way to Wisconsin.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
I’ve sat in the rain with you –

KRISTEN WELKER:
I traveled all – I know. I traveled all the way--

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
I sat in the rain with you for an hour.

KRISTEN WELKER:
– to Wisconsin.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
On and off in the rain, and I’ve given you enough time. You ought to straighten out your press, because you know what?

KRISTEN WELKER:
Mr. President –

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
A country can never be great with a dishonest press. Come on. Let’s go.

KRISTEN WELKER:
– we traveled all – listen. We traveled all the way to Wisconsin for this interview.

[END TAPE]

KRISTEN WELKER:
I spoke with President Trump on Saturday, and we both acknowledged the complications during the interview posed by the rain. He agreed to sit down with me for another “Meet the Press” interview.

KRISTEN WELKER:
When we come back, the panel weighs in on my interview with President Trump.

 

Here's the full chain of events that led to Trump storming out of his interview with Kristin Welker, beginning with her pressing him on the weaponization fund, continuing with her pointing out the baselessness of his "rigged election" lies, and concluding with him calling her… pic.twitter.com/p8frVtICTt

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 7, 2026

It was "Donald Trump's Greatest Hits," in which the President of the USA does what he does best- whining through an interview and lying at a furious pace: "radical left lunatics";  "crooked cops"; "Comey was a dirty cop";  "FBI agents ushering them into the building:;  "stupid Biden";  California cops "cheatin on the election";  "Meet the Press is crooked";  "won an election in a landslide";  "your elections are crooked and you're crooked and Meet the Press is crooked... and so is ABC and CBS and CNN." 

The most interesting one, which will be ignored by the media, was Donald Trump characteristically hating on* the USA. "We're like a third world country," says the man who never misses an opportunity to condemn the country that twice elected him to the presidency.

Yet, the most significant comment, arguably, was Kristen Welker's promise "when we come back, the panel weighs in on my interview with President Trump". If only.

When the panelists returned, they touched on several topics: gas prices; the economy; Iran's nuclear program; voter frustration; tariffs.  But what they chose to ignore was the actual interview.

The panelists were the inaptly named Marc Short, who has worked for President Trump and Vice President Pence, Carol Lee of NBC News,  and Ashley Etienne.

So we couldn't expect anything worthwhile from Short. However, Etienne was communications director for Vice President Harris, communications director for House Speaker Pelosi, and special assistant to Barack Obama. Imagine being her and exhuming 259 words and saying: not a thing about an interviewee who a few moments earlier described our country as "third rate"; or that the show- or the host, with whom she herself is talking- is "crooked;" or who insisted without evidence that a statewide election in a Democratic state is "rigged" and "dirty;" or who called a former Democratic president "stupid".

Admittedly, if President Trump had called Barack Obama "stupid," Etienne probably would have been moved to defend the ex-President because, after all, it was Obama. But the silence from her and the refusal of Lee or Welker to defend their network, the news media generally, or Welker should be stunning.

It isn't, of course, because that's the way the media has been playing this game. Last November, Bloomberg's Catherine Lacey was among a group of reporters on Air Force One. After she asked a question about the Epstein files, Donald told her "quiet, piggy" and cut her off. Other reporters defended her- just kidding, they went on to ask their own questions.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins didn't even have to ask Donald a question at the White House press briefing last week, on June 3.  Trump stated "CNN is a very corrupt organization with a corrupt reporter standing right there." Then Collins asked about the D.O.J. fund and a moment later the President told her "you used to be a conservative, she was a conservative from Alabama."

To her credit, Collins smartly (and accurately) snapped back "I'm still from Alabama, Sir".  But the news conference with the Liar-in-Chief went on, reporters blithely asking questions after Donald had called one of their colleagues "corrupt".

It was standard operating behavior from the press, which satisfies itself enabling Trump while diplomatically questioning a few of his outrageous lies. However, with the exception of Collins on this occasion, no one- no one- confronts Trump.  When Collins was called "corrupt," any one of a few things could have been an appropriate response.

The assemblage could have left at that moment. However, they faced the prisoner's dilemma and, given that unless most of the correspondents had walked out, those who did probably would have been fired by their organization. 

Another, more realistic, option would have been for one of them, presumably the next reporter called upon, to do the heavy lifting. He or she could have defnded Collins or, better yet, called upon the President to apologize.

That would have put Donald in a rough spot, which may be why this sort of thing isn't done. Defend a reporter to Trump's face- or in Welker's case

During the Meet the Press interview, when Welker was told by Trump "you're either crooked or stupid," she could have replied "well, we know you're not stupid, so that leaves only one other option".  

To Welker's credit, she did at one point object "to be fair, I'm not crooked."  Nonetheless, that's insufficient- and protesting at the end "Mr. President, let's- please, I traveled all the way to Wisconsin" sounds weak and whiny, and no way to gain the respect of Trump, his supporters, or even the audience of Meet the President.

Nevertheless, it's not up to one NBC, CNN, or Bloomberg correspondent to stand up to Donald Trump and say "No"!  Either the individuals or the news organizations they're working for are failing big time and if the latter, someone needs to call them out.

*rap parlance, circa 2000

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