Mary Trump Criticizes Kristen Welker's 'Train Wreck' Interview of Donald Trump on Meet the Press
Sept. 23 2023, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
Ex-President Donald Trump's recent interview with Kristen Welker on Meet the Press has sparked controversy and criticism.
Mary Trump, the ex-president's niece and a vocal critic of his, has strongly condemned the interview, calling it a "train wreck," suggesting that there were ground rules in place that included referring to him as "Mr. President," RadarOnline.com has learned.
Ex-presidential niece Mary Trump went off on Kristen Welker’s interview with ex-President Donald Trump.
The decision to have Welker interview Trump was widely criticized even before the interview aired. Many questioned the choice of Welker as the interviewer and raised concerns about the format of the interview.
Peter Baker, a reporter for The New York Times, even addressed these criticisms on-air during the show.
On Sunday, Welker's interview with Trump finally aired. However, it quickly became apparent that it was filled with falsehoods, misleading statements, and evidence-free attacks.
Mary Trump's book, 'Too Much and Never Enough.'
The ex-president's niece, who hosts The Mary Trump Show podcast and is known for her sharp criticisms of her uncle, expressed her disappointment with the interview in a lengthy critique for her substack audience.
She suggested that both NBC News and CNN, which hosted a similar interview in May, had made significant concessions to gain access to Trump.
She compared the interviews to "train wrecks" and criticized both networks for giving Trump too much leverage in the negotiations.
Mary Trump pointed out that Welker referred to Trump as "Mr. President" twice at the beginning of the interview, raising questions as to whether this was a voluntary act or a concession made by NBC.
The interview aired on Welker’s first turn as permanent moderator of 'Meet the Press.'
Mary Trump's critique also highlighted the correct protocol for addressing former presidents. She noted that when former President Barack Obama was interviewed on NPR in 2020, he was called "Mr. President" once, while on 60 Minutes, he was referred to as "Mr. President" five times.
In a recent 60 Minutes interview with President Joe Biden, he was addressed as "Mr. President" nine times.
In contrast, Welker called Trump "Mr. President" a staggering 82 times during the 78-minute interview, as documented in the transcript.
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Mary called her uncle's supporters "White Supremacists," "Christian Nationalists" and "Anti-Semites."
"If there were no Electoral College, we wouldn't even have to have this. Well, we would have to have this conversation because the developments are so dangerous. But we wouldn't be worried about the election," Mary said on the Meidas Touch Show.
"I mean ... we're white-knuckling this right now. And the Republicans know that they only have to focus on three states," she explained. "And again, to those who support the Electoral College, do you think that's democracy when candidates literally can ignore 47 of the 50 states? It's just absolutely absurd."
