Former President Donald Trump and moderator Kristen Welker appear in a pre taped interview on “Meet the Press” at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, in Bedminster, NJ, Sep. 14, 2023.
William B. Plowman | NBCU | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Sunday lashed out at NBC News “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker, suggesting she would be reported to the Federal Communications Commission over her alleged characterization of election results.
The president slammed Welker after Trump said the “Meet the Press” host said that he has had “mixed results” with candidates he has endorsed during this election cycle. A handful of Trump’s chosen candidates have lost in primaries this year, such as Minnesota gubernatorial candidate and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and Iowa gubernatorial candidate Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa.
“How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves?” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment.”
Welker’s comments were not made on Sunday’s broadcast of “Meet the Press.” Instead, the NBC host made the remark during a pre-show segment on a local Washington, D.C., affiliate, WRC-TV, CNN’s Brian Stelter said in a post on X.
“He’s going to loom large over these midterms. There’s no doubt about that. He, of course, has endorsed a slate of candidates in the primaries,” Welker said in that segment. “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.”
A spokesperson for NBC News said in a statement: “Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her.”
The president’s attack on Welker comes after the Treasury Department barred economics journalists from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg from attending this week’s G20 meetings in North Carolina, according to the Times.
The reporters were not granted credentials by the Treasury Department, which told the Times that nearly 300 media members were being let in, including at least one other reporter for the Times.
The exclusions are the latest example of the Trump administration seeking to restrict press access. Last year, the Pentagon imposed a strict new press policy that saw nearly all media outlets exit rather than sign an agreement to abide by the policy.
While Trump has long derided the news media as “fake news” and lashed out at reporters, his Federal Communications Commission chief Brendan Carr has been more willing to act on alleged bias during his second term. Last year, Carr called for action against Jimmy Kimmel over comments made on his ABC late-night show. ABC later temporarily pulled the program from the air before restoring it.
Trump appeared to direct Carr to target NBC in his social media post.
“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,” he said.
In an earlier Truth Social post, Trump expressed his displeasure with polling used by the press to forecast election results, and suggested Carr’s FCC would also look into that.
“THE FAKE POLLS USED BY OUR CROOKED MEDIA ARE OUT OF CONTROL, AND SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT IT. FCC TO THE RESCUE!” the president said.
The president stormed out of an interview with Welker earlier this year after being pressed on his controversial “weaponization” fund and on evidence of his persistent claims of election fraud.
