A routine morning television appearance intended to preview Sunday’s edition of “Meet the Press” quickly spiraled out of control.
By the end of the day, President Donald Trump was enraged by remarks NBC anchor Kristen Welker made about his influence in Republican primaries. She pointed out that his endorsements had produced a mix of victories and defeats.
Trump accused Welker of mischaracterizing his endorsement record. He then threatened action from the Federal Communications Commission over what he described as inaccurate network reporting. Yet the comments in question did not air on “Meet the Press.”
Welker delivered the remarks during a live appearance on NBC 4 Washington ahead of Sunday’s Meet the Press broadcast.
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Trump then attacked Welker, identifying her as the host of Meet the Press. But the remarks never aired on the program.
Journalist Aaron Rupar also noted that “Welker did not say this on today’s Meet the Press.”
One person said, “I just finished watching the entire program. The subject never came up! Kristen said nothing of the sort! Trump is deranged.”
In his Sunday morning Truth Social post, Trump said, “Kristen Welker, the Unpopular ‘Hostess’ of the once great Meet the Press, now considered Meet the Fake Press, just stated that Donald Trump has ‘mixed results’ on his Endorsements of Candidates, when the recent WINS of Darline Graham and Mike Mazzei, stand at 100% for the U.S. Senate, and 98% for the U.S. House, recently and over the longterm. How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves? Results are attached. Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment.”
Welker was discussing Trump’s sway over voters heading into the November midterms while accurately noting that his endorsement record included both wins and losses.
“He’s going to loom large over these midterms,” Welker told the NBC affiliate. “There’s no doubt about that. He, of course, has endorsed a slate of candidates in the primaries. He’s had some mixed results, but most recently, his pick of Senator Darline Graham, of course, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, was successful in her primary battle, so now she takes on Dr. Annie Andrews in South Carolina.”
Graham narrowly defeated Rep. Ralph Norman (R) S.C. in a primary race that proved closer than many political observers expected. Trump, however, has also absorbed several recent setbacks involving endorsed candidates, validating Welker’s analysis of his mixed record.
Viewers watching the controversy unfold online quickly seized upon that distinction.
Another commenter wrote, “The President of the United States is a #snowflake that can’t handle anything that threatens his imagined invincibility and enormous ego.”
Others were more direct. “Trump doesn’t need to convince us he’s a ranting lunatic. We know,” one added.
And another summed up the reaction in three words: “Whiny little baby.”
Doubling down on his defense, Trump claimed that news outlets were deliberately minimizing his political pull, maintaining that his primary backing remains the most dominant force in modern American elections.
“The Radical Left News is going out of their way to harass, demean, and libel anything ‘TRUMP.’ Their new weapon is to say that my 99% SUCCESS Rate on Endorsements, 100% on Senatorial Endorsements (Many of whom were not even given a shot of winning until I Endorsed!), is either a mixed result, or not very good,” Trump wrote. “In actuality, it is, without question, the strongest Endorsement in the History of Politics. If it were not, I would be the first to admit it. Darline Graham’s run for the Senate was the biggest story in all of Politics, because she wasn’t expected to win, and then, when I Endorsed her, and she easily won, the story of her Victory was hardly covered by anybody. Likewise, the future Governor of Oklahoma, who was behind in every Poll, I Endorsed him, he won, and the story was barely covered!”
Trump then directed his attention to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, calling on the agency to respond to what he described as a serious threat involving the news media.
“The Press is a Disgrace to our Nation, and I hope that Chairman Brendan Carr, and the fine people of his Commission, will take this Threat to our Country very seriously. Thank you for your attention to this very important matter of Fake Polls and Commentary!”
This episode marks the latest flashpoint between Trump and Welker. Two months prior, Trump walked out of an interview with the Meet the Press moderator after objecting to her questioning and fact-checking. He later agreed to another appearance, calling into the program the morning following Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death
NBC News, meanwhile, stood behind Welker.
In a statement provided to Mediaite, an NBC News spokesperson said, “Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her.”
