Former President Donald Trump rejected criticism that his military action against Iran this year contradicted his campaign promise of avoiding new conflicts during his presidency.
During a Sunday broadcast of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump clarified that he never made absolute guarantees about preventing warfare if returned to office.
“First of all, I didn’t guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?” Trump stated.
The former president also stood by a cancelled $1.8 billion compensation program for his political allies and continued making unproven allegations about election irregularities in California’s recent primary voting process. The interview concluded abruptly when Trump grew irritated with NBC’s Kristen Welker’s challenging questions.
Throughout his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump frequently portrayed his Democratic rivals as advocates for military intervention while positioning himself as a peace-oriented leader who had avoided initiating “no new wars” during his previous term.
However, in the NBC discussion, recorded Friday in Wisconsin, Trump maintained that as a candidate, “I didn’t promise anything.”
“I don’t like these endless wars. This is not an endless war. We’ve been doing this for three months,” he explained regarding the Iranian conflict that commenced February 28.
Trump justified his actions by saying he was “doing the world a service” and “doing our country a service” to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear capabilities. Yet during the same conversation, he made conflicting statements claiming that previous U.S. military strikes had “obliterated” Iranian nuclear facilities.
He also justified his earlier decision to exit former Democratic President Barack Obama’s Iranian nuclear agreement, which he has consistently criticized, despite not securing the improved deal he had promised to negotiate.
“It takes years to do these things,” Trump explained.
California’s extended ballot counting process has attracted numerous election conspiracy theories, with Trump alleging since Tuesday’s voting that Democrats are manipulating results without providing proof. The Trump-appointed chief federal prosecutor in Los Angeles announced Friday that his office had initiated “multiple election fraud investigations.”
Late-arriving Democratic-favoring mail-in ballots have reduced vote counts for Trump’s endorsed candidates seeking the governor’s office and Los Angeles mayoral position. Although Trump frequently characterizes changing vote tallies as evidence of fraud, these shifts simply reflect California’s lengthy counting procedures.
During the interview, Trump maintained these changes indicated “cheating” and “a rigged election,” becoming increasingly agitated as Welker demanded supporting evidence.
“All I have to do is look. All I have to do is look,” Trump responded.
“But that’s not evidence,” Welker countered.
“And I listen. And I listen to people. And let’s see what happens,” Trump replied.
Trump supported plans that his Department of Justice announced it was abandoning to establish a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” through a settlement resolving Trump’s legal action against the IRS regarding leaked tax documents.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday the department was eliminating the proposal. This decision followed a judicial pause and concerns from both Democrats and some Republicans about inadequate oversight and potential payments to January 6, 2021, Capitol riot participants.
Trump told NBC he considered the fund “a great idea” and would be “disappointed” if not implemented.
When questioned whether January 6 police attackers deserved compensation, Trump said, “I wouldn’t be inclined to say so, but I have to see it.” He then made baseless and incorrect statements about the riot and Capitol attackers. Trump issued comprehensive pardons on his first day returning to office in January 2025 for over 1,500 individuals prosecuted for January 6 involvement.
The NBC interview occurred in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, before Trump’s scheduled appearance at a farmers’ roundtable discussion. Heavy rainfall repeatedly disrupted the recording as it struck the barn’s metal roof where filming took place, creating audio difficulties.
At the conclusion, Welker questioned Trump about the settlement fund and his California election claims. Trump raised his voice and began labeling Welker and media outlets as “crooked,” attacking her reliability and criticizing what he termed “the fake, dirty press.”
As Welker attempted changing topics, Trump continued speaking and both talked simultaneously. Trump terminated the interview, stating, “Let’s call it quits.” He removed his microphone, telling Welker, “Thank you, darling. Have a good time.” He mentioned providing sufficient interview time, stood up and departed.
Welker reported during the broadcast that she contacted Trump Saturday, and he acknowledged the rain created complications while agreeing to conduct another interview later.
