Kristen Welker, animator of “Meet the Press” on NBC, opposed the interview with Donald Trump

The moderator of “Meet The Press”, Kristen Welker, rejected the suggestion of her boss of interviewer the former president Donald Trump for his first episode last fall before being convinced to participate in the session, according to a report .

Welker, the former NBC News White House correspondent who replaced Chuck Todd on the long-running Sunday morning show, was approached by Cesar Conde, the chairman of NBCUniversal News, about who to book for his first show Last September, according to the New York times.

Condé and Welker agreed that she should prioritize booking interviews with President Biden and Trump, The New York Times reported.

While Biden declined an invitation, Trump accepted.

But when Condé brought up the idea of ​​Welker interviewing Trump for his Sept. 17 debut, she reportedly pushed back.

Welker was apparently wary of a meeting with Trump given his combative nature and propensity to make outlandish claims. She ultimately agreed to what turned out to be a controversial interview only after coming under pressure from Condé and several of his deputies, according to the Times.

The moderator tried to verify Trump’s facts during the interview and to avoid being crushed like the host of CNN, Kaitlan Collins, had done it for months earlier during a public assembly with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Welker’s interview ended up being criticized on social networks – accompanied by a “#boycottmeetthepress” campaign. Condé, however, considered it a success, reported the Times.

The post requested the comments of NBC News.

Condé’s pressure for Trump to appear in the beginnings of Welker’s “Meet The Press” reflected the desire for management to bring more balance to the information division of Peacock Network, which is perceived as being in the tank of the Democratic Party given MSNBC’s partisan tilt.

According to the Times, Condé wanted more Republicans to appear on NBC News shows in hopes of making inroads with Trump supporters who have abandoned mainstream media in droves.

To this end, he approved the hiring of Ronna McDaniel, the former president of the National Republican Committee, as a paid collaborator for NBC News.

But the decision was welcomed by high-profile figures at NBC News and MSNBC, including “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, as well as Rachel Maddow and Chuck Todd, prompting management to cancel the offer.

Before McDaniel’s hiring by NBC News was made public, she participated in an interview with Welker on “Meet the Press.”

Welker interviewed McDaniel about his role in Trump’s efforts to cancel the results of the 2020 elections. McDaniel has since said that she considered Biden as the legitimate winner of the election.

Trump has been charged by the Justice Department with crimes for his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the election. The former president called these allegations as “false”.

McDaniel has never been charged or accused of wrongdoing by authorities.

After Condé terminated McDaniel’s hiring, Republicans criticized the decision. Some even threatened to deny NBC News journalists access to the Republican National Convention this summer.

The article of the Times also quotes people close to the file saying that the parent company of MSNBC, Comcast, was unhappy with the comments of the animators and guests of the chain who were perceived as criticism of Israel while the the October 7 terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas.

Michael Cavanagh, president of Comcast, took the rare measure of sharing his concerns about the talents on the antenna of MSNBC which turned into opinions and comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Times.

Condé agreed with his boss and sent a directive to MSNBC staff telling them to stick to the facts, according to the Times.