Trump criticizes NBC election comment; Treasury excludes some journalists from G20
Former President Donald Trump and moderator Kristen Welker appear in an interview recorded on “Meet the Press” at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, in Bedminster, New Jersey, on September 14, 2023.
The president sharply criticized Welker after Trump said the “Meet the Press” host said he had had “mixed results” with candidates he had endorsed during this election cycle. A handful of Trump’s picks have lost in this year’s primaries, including Minnesota gubernatorial candidate and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and Iowa gubernatorial candidate Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa.
“How can someone be allowed to say this, working for the free public airwaves?” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “Due to this intentional inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for reprimand or punishment.”
Welker’s comments were not made on Sunday’s broadcast of “Meet the Press.” Instead, the NBC anchor made the comment 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 carry a lot of weight in this midterm election. There’s no doubt about it. 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 choice of Sen. Darline Graham, of course, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, was successful in her primary battle, so he’s now facing Dr. Annie Andrews in South Carolina.”
An NBC News spokesperson said in a statement: “Kristen is one of the best in the business and we support her.”
The Treasury Department did not grant credentials to the journalists.
Nearly 300 members of the media, including a Times reporter, will have high-level access to policymakers throughout the event, a Treasury spokesperson said in a statement.
The exclusions are the latest example of how the Trump administration seeks to restrict press access. Last year, the Pentagon imposed a strict new press policy that caused nearly all media outlets to walk out rather than sign an agreement to comply with the policy.
While Trump has long mocked the media as “fake news” and lashed out at journalists, Federal Communications Commission chief Brendan Carr has become more willing to act on alleged biases during his second term. Last year, Carr called for action against Jimmy Kimmel for comments made on his ABC late-night show. ABC later temporarily took the show off the air before restoring it.
Trump appeared to direct Carr to target NBC in his social media post.
“The press is an embarrassment to our nation, and I hope that Chairman Brendan Carr and the fine people of his Commission take this threat to our country very seriously,” he said.
In a previous Truth Social post, Trump expressed displeasure with polls used by the press to predict election results and suggested that Carr’s FCC would investigate that as well.
“THE FAKE POLLS USED BY OUR MEDIA ARE OUT OF CONTROL AND YOU MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. FCC TO THE RESCUE!” said the president.
The president stormed out of an interview with Welker earlier this year after being pressed about his controversial “weapons” fund and evidence of his persistent claims of election fraud.
