What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[Duque de Bragança]

Its like a fractal pattern with each split spawning more splits

Think of them as of leftists: when two meet, they found a new party.
By the time they get to three members, there is a split. 

[Syt]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8k1xx6yzjo

Trump abruptly ends NBC interview after clash over 'rigged election' claim

US President Donald Trump abruptly walked out of an interview with NBC after being repeatedly challenged on several claims by the show's presenter Kristen Welker.

During the interview, which aired on Sunday's Meet The Press, the president claimed both the current primary elections in California and the 2020 presidential election were "rigged".

When pressed for evidence on California's vote by Welker, he said: "All I have to do is look, and I listen."

After the presenter replied "that's not evidence", Trump accused the media of being "crooked", before ending the interview: "Sorry, let's call it quits because I've had enough."

The president has had a fraught relationship with traditional media outlets, often accusing them of bias against him.

The interview, set in a barn as Trump appeared at an event with farmers in Wisconsin, was delayed repeatedly due to technical difficulties and rain hitting the metal roof. NBC reported that he walked out 50 minutes after sitting down for it on Friday.

Much of the interview involved Welker questioning Trump over the conflict with Iran, with him insisting the US needed to act to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and that it would not be "an endless war".

"We're there for a few months and the threat is largely over," he said.

Around six minutes before he left the set, the pair discussed the "anti-weaponisation" fund, a now-dropped plan to create a $1.8bn (£1.3bn) fund to compensate individuals who claim they were unfairly targeted or investigated by the government.

The plan drew strong criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, who argued it could result in payments to people prosecuted over the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021.

The pair then moved onto discussing that riot, and Trump was challenged after he repeated his unsubstantiated claim that the 2020 election was rigged.

Trump turned to the California primary elections, where votes are still being counted to determine which two candidates in a series of races - including governor of the state - will be on the ballot in November's midterm elections.

He said the results had not been called after four days, adding: "They're cheating on the election."

"Do you have evidence to support that?" Welker responded.

"All I have to do is look, and I listen," the president replied.

"But that's not evidence," she interjected.

Full results have not yet been called in the state where delays are common due to a particularly meticulous vote-counting process and broad use of mail-in ballots. Mail-in voting has long irked the president.

"They're crooked," he continued, "just like you're crooked."

Welker said: "To be fair, I'm not crooked. But let's continue."

Trump then told Welker "you're either crooked or you're stupid", and after a further exchange said: "Let's call it quits because I've had enough. Thank you darling, have a good time."

Welker attempted to continue the interview, but Trump interrupted: "I've sat in the rain with you for an hour, on and off in the rain, and I've given you enough time.

"You ought to straighten out your press, because you know what? A country can never be great with a dishonest press."

He then gestured to people behind the camera, saying "come on, let's go", before standing up and walking off the set.

After the interview was broadcast, Welker said: "I spoke with President Trump on Saturday and we both acknowledged the complications during the interview posed by the rain. He agreed to sit down with me for another Meet the Press interview."

The BBC has approached the White House for comment.

[Valmy]

Yeah they have been all over the California elections for being corrupt because they are counting votes. Granted they count votes rather ridiculously slowly, but since Republicans are also against using machines to count votes I don't see what option they give anybody.

[Tonitrus]

It is not so much slow counting, as that CA allows mail-in ballots to be post-marked up to election day  (and then have to work their way through the postal system)...which I think is fine.  Waiting days/weeks for mail-in votes to come in was normal in the past (pre-COVID, when it was less widespread).  Trump was the one who pushed the "we should know who won on election day!" narrative, which I think is silly, and even many Democrats now conceding it.  I doubt the Founding Fathers knew the election results on election day. 

The hysteria is, as usual, nonsense.   

[Sheilbh]

I do find it genuinely crazy how America (and California is extreme) counts votes so slowly. I really don't get why it takes so long and it does seem uniquely American.

[Tonitrus]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8k1xx6yzjo

Trump abruptly ends NBC interview after clash over 'rigged election' claim

I am not sure which was worse...Trump throwing a tantrum and walking out, or Kristen Welker pathetically imploring him to stay "we traveled all the way out here!". (Trump is always worse...but poor showing from both)

Meet the Press hasn't been the same since Tim Russert.

[Tonitrus]

I do find it genuinely crazy how America (and California is extreme) counts votes so slowly. I really don't get why it takes so long and it does seem uniquely American.

It's not extreme at all...it is slow because votes mailed in close to or on election day are still coming in through the mail.

[Valmy]

I do find it genuinely crazy how America (and California is extreme) counts votes so slowly. I really don't get why it takes so long and it does seem uniquely American.

Generally we know who won the election the same day, but it does take weeks to get a fully accurate count. We have absentee ballots showing up and some ballots need to be examine carefully to see if they are legit.

I am not sure why you don't have similar issues but I don't know enough about how your system works.

[crazy canuck]

I do find it genuinely crazy how America (and California is extreme) counts votes so slowly. I really don't get why it takes so long and it does seem uniquely American.

It's not extreme at all...it is slow because votes mailed in close to or on election day are still coming in through the mail.

And that is the difference. The United States seems to be a bit of an outlier by allowing ballots by mail to be posted right up until election day. In the UK, Canada and a number of other countries, voting by mail requires the pre-registration of the voter as well as posting the mail ballot in the prescribed time before the election day. That way, the ballots arrive normally before election day and stored securely so that they are counted along with all the other ballots. Usually last.