US President Donald Trump abruptly ended a live interview with NBC News after a heated exchange with journalist Kristen Welker over his long-standing claims of election rigging.

According to TheCable, the confrontation took place during Trump’s appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press in Wisconsin on Sunday.

During the interview, Trump repeated allegations that the 2020 US presidential election was “rigged” and claimed similar irregularities were occurring in California’s recent primary elections.

“The election was rigged. It was a dirty election. And it’s happening again right now in California,” Trump said, alleging without presenting evidence during the exchange.

Welker repeatedly asked the president to provide proof supporting his claims of election manipulation. In response, Trump said he relied on information he had heard from others and observations he had made.

As the discussion intensified, Trump accused NBC News and several major US media organisations of bias. He described NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN as “crooked” before turning his criticism directly on Welker.

The interview ended when Trump told the NBC anchor she was “either crooked, or stupid” before standing up and leaving the set.

Welker responded by noting that she had travelled to Wisconsin specifically for the interview.

Trump has consistently challenged the outcome of the 2020 election, citing affidavits, statistical concerns and procedural changes. However, election officials, independent reviews and numerous court rulings have repeatedly found no evidence of widespread fraud capable of changing the election result.

The latest confrontation is likely to renew debate over election integrity claims as political tensions continue to shape the US political landscape ahead of future electoral contests.