Kristen Welker did her job. Donald Trump called her crooked and walked out.
Welker is the first Black journalist to moderate Meet the Press in the program's decades-long history. On Sunday (June 7), that historic role became the backdrop for one of the most-watched presidential walkouts in recent memory — and for many Black journalists watching, it was painfully familiar.
The interview, recorded Friday (June 5) in Wisconsin and aired Sunday, started with pointed questions about Trump's controversial $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund. When Welker pressed Trump on whether Jan. 6 rioters who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers should be eligible for taxpayer-funded compensation, Trump grew visibly agitated. He claimed — without evidence — that rioters had been "ushered into" the Capitol by FBI agents and took plea deals out of fear, not guilt.
Things deteriorated quickly from there. When Welker challenged Trump's repeated and unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 election was rigged and that California's gubernatorial race was currently being stolen, Trump turned his frustration directly on her.
"They're crooked, just like you're crooked, your press is crooked. And Meet the Press is crooked," he said. When Welker calmly pushed back — "To be fair, I'm not crooked" — Trump shot back: "You're either crooked or you're stupid." He then removed his microphone. "Let's call it quits because I've had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time."
Welker reminded him she had traveled all the way to Wisconsin for the interview. Trump was unmoved. "I've sat in the rain with you for an hour. I've given you enough time."
The moment landed in a long and documented history of Trump's hostile treatment of Black female journalists. In 2018, he called veteran White House reporter April Ryan a "loser" who "doesn't know what the hell she is doing" — and the year before that, infamously told her to personally "set up" a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus simply because she was Black. That same week in 2018, he called CNN's Abby Phillip's questions "stupid" and attacked PBS correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, telling her that her question about white nationalism was itself "racist."
As recently as September 2025, Trump launched a tirade against Alcindor at the White House, calling her "second-rate" after she questioned him about a social media post in which he appeared to threaten "war" in Chicago.
Reporters Without Borders has previously condemned what it described as Trump's pattern of "particularly hostile" treatment toward Black women in journalism, noting the "unique threats women and people of color in the journalism industry face."
Welker, for her part, remained composed throughout — and announced after the interview aired that Trump had agreed to return for a follow-up interview. She did not say when or where.
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