UMVA has learned that a behind-the-scenes look at Donald Trump's interview with NBC's Kristen Welker reveals a more nuanced story than the headlines suggested.
The reality of the situation was far more subtle than the term "stormed out" would imply. It's easy to second-guess the decisions made during a high-pressure interview with a politician like Trump, who is known for dominating sit-down conversations.
Having interviewed Trump on multiple occasions, including a high-stakes session just two weeks before the election, provides a certain perspective on the dynamics at play. The tension that comes with interviewing a politician for television, especially one like Trump, requires split-second judgments.
The interview took a turn when Trump lashed out at Welker and the press, calling them "crooked" and stating that "Meet the Press" was also crooked. The exchange became heated, with Trump eventually saying, "Sorry. Let's call it quits because I've had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time."
Trump's behavior towards women, particularly during interviews, has been noted before. He has been known to treat certain women differently, as seen in his interactions with CNN's Kaitlan Collins, whom he described as "beautiful" but also accused of having "hatred in her eyes."
The challenge of interviewing Trump lies in walking a fine line between letting the guest speak and interrupting when necessary. A key aspect of conducting a successful interview is to jump in when the conversation is becoming a "filibuster" and to perform real-time fact-checking when possible.
Welker's approach, however, seemed to involve interrupting Trump frequently, which gave the impression that she was debating him rather than conducting an interview. There were moments when her persistence paid off, such as when she pressed Trump about the $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund.
In that exchange, Trump became defensive and claimed that 97% of people who were investigated had been victims of a "fake weaponization of government." Welker pushed back, pointing out that there was no evidence to support Trump's claims, but he continued to assert that there was "tremendous evidence."
The final six minutes of the interview devolved into an "interrupt-a-thon," with Welker trying to press Trump on specific issues and Trump repeatedly claiming that there was evidence to support his claims. It's possible that Welker felt pressure to challenge Trump aggressively in order to avoid being seen as going easy on him.
The viewers, however, are likely smart enough to pick up on when a guest is dodging a question or changing the subject. A more effective approach might have been to explain Trump's evasions to the viewers after the taping.
Despite the challenges, it's worth noting that Trump and Welker had discussed a range of topics, including Iran, nuclear issues, the economy, and gas prices, before the interview took a turn. The conversation was interrupted by rain, and Welker did manage to get some significant news out of the interview.
In the end, Kristen Welker's interview with Trump made headlines, which is likely to make her and her network happy. However, a closer look at the interview reveals a more complex story than the initial headlines suggested.
