U.S. President Donald Trump drew attention after he cut short an interview during a heated exchange with a host, claiming the 2020 presidential election and California's primary were "election fraud."
In an NBC "Meet the Press" interview aired Sunday, Trump was asked whether he believed it was justified to pay American taxpayers' money to people who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. He responded, "Those people were destroyed by a corrupt police operation. Many of them should be compensated."
The U.S. Justice Department recently said it would create a 1.776 billion dollar "anti-weaponization fund" to compensate victims, claiming that the previous Joe Biden administration had weaponized the judicial apparatus and caused many victims. However, after backlash arose not only from the Democratic Party but also within the Republican Party, the department announced it would not pursue the plan.
Trump, speaking to the effect that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, claimed, "Now the same thing is happening again in California." Pointing out that the results of the California primary held on June 2 had not yet been announced, Trump raised his voice, saying, "It's because they're committing fraud in the election." Due to its large area, California relies heavily on mail-in voting, and counting typically takes a long time.
When the host repeatedly asked whether there was evidence that could be called election fraud, Trump answered, "I listen to people." He then turned on the host, snapping, "You're a crooked person, and 'Meet the Press' is a crooked program. So are ABC, CBS, and CNN." He then left his seat, saying, "Let's stop now. I can't take this anymore."
NBC is classified as a progressive-leaning broadcaster. Trump has criticized progressive-leaning media outlets such as CNN and The New York Times (NYT) as "fake news" at every opportunity. Regarding the California election, he also claimed on Truth Social on June 4, "A massive number of mail-in ballots are being counted very late," and "Major fraud by the California Democratic Party is taking place."
