United States President Donald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NBC's flagship current affairs programme, Meet the Press, after a tense exchange with host Kristen Welker over claims relating to election fraud and the January 6 Capitol attack.
The interview, which aired over the weekend, became increasingly confrontational when Welker asked Trump to provide evidence supporting his allegation that the FBI had played a role in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
Trump responded by criticising the journalist and questioning the credibility of both the programme and mainstream media outlets. He also repeated longstanding claims that the 2020 US presidential election and ongoing elections in California were rigged.
During the exchange, Welker repeatedly asked the president to provide evidence for his allegations. Trump instead accused major news organisations of bias and described several media outlets as "crooked" before ending the interview.
"Sorry, let's call it quits because I've had enough," Trump said before leaving the set.
The incident is the latest in a series of public clashes between Trump and members of the media, particularly female journalists.
Throughout his political career, Trump has frequently engaged in confrontational exchanges with reporters. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he drew criticism after telling CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang to "ask China" when she questioned him about the United States' response to the coronavirus outbreak.
More recently, Trump has been involved in disputes with several prominent journalists, including Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey, ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott, MSNBC reporter Akayla Gardner and CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins.
Media analysts have noted that despite the often-heated exchanges, many journalists involved have chosen not to engage directly with personal attacks, instead continuing to focus on questioning public officials and seeking clarification on policy matters.
The latest incident has reignited debate over the relationship between political leaders and the media, as well as concerns about the treatment of journalists, particularly women, in the public sphere.
According to UN Women, women journalists around the world continue to face significant levels of online harassment, threats and gender-based abuse. Research by the organisation found that nearly three-quarters of women journalists have experienced some form of online violence during their careers.
The exchange comes as Trump continues to campaign and defend his positions on election integrity and media coverage, issues that remain central to his political messaging both in the United States and internationally.