NBC's tense Trump interview jumped from Iran to Jan. 6, then ended suddenly

https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">President Trump abruptly ended a wide-ranging "Meet the Press" interview Sunday after defending potential payouts for people prosecuted over Jan. 6 and warning slow Iran talks could restart U.S. military action.

Why it matters: The NBC interview captured two fights likely to follow Trump this week: the scope of his Iran operation, and whether taxpayer money should go to people he casts as victims of political prosecutions.

• Trump's conversation with Kristen Welker put the president on the record defending the idea of Jan. 6 payouts, even after his administration said it had dropped plans for the nearly $1.8 billion fund.

5 key moments from Trump's "Meet the Press" interview

1.

Jan. 6 payouts

• Trump said many people prosecuted over Jan. 6 "should be compensated" on a case-by-case basis.
• The proposed nearly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund https://www.axios.com/2026/05/18/trump-irs-lawsuit-dropped" target="_blank">grew from Trump's IRS settlement over the leak of his tax returns.

  The fund faced almost immediate bipartisan pushback.

• Trump first told NBC he wasn't "inclined" to support payments to anyone who attacked police officers — then he railed against those officers: "You had a lot of crooked cops.

  You had dirty cops.

  Comey was a dirty cop."

• He continued, "I don't know what's going to happen with the weaponization fund.

  I love the idea."

2.

Iran red line

• Trump said his red line for renewed strikes would be if he thought a deal was not happening "fast enough."
• The answer sharpened a threat hanging over talks after https://www.axios.com/2026/06/03/iran-war-us-military-strikes-drones-tanker-hormuz-strait" target="_blank">U.S.–Iran clashes have popped up.
• The White House is https://www.axios.com/2026/06/05/iran-oak-ridge-nuclear-witkoff-kushner" target="_blank">trying to reach a memorandum of understanding with Iran to end the war and begin in-depth nuclear negotiations.
• Trump said U.S. forces could help remove and destroy highly enriched uranium under a deal.

  Without one, he said, "we're going to take them out militarily very harshly."

3.

No to no-new-wars pledge

• Pressed on his https://x.com/decodingfoxnews/status/2007403812592746497?s=46&t=yxYBta0zhKqvzUP8zCYxjw" target="_blank">campaign pledge to not start new wars, Trump said he "didn't promise anything" and argued the Iran operation was not an "endless war."
• "It costs us very little to keep" 50,000 U.S. troops in place, he said. "I think we'll keep them there until such time as we have a completion."
• Trump argued the Iran operation is different from wars in Vietnam and Iraq because this conflict has only lasted months, not years.

4.

Praise for Khamenei

• Trump praised Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's "certain bravery" for staying involved in talks while seriously injured.
• Khamenei is "part of the approval process" for a deal, Trump confirmed.

  He called the younger Khamenei "more rational" than his father, though Trump and the ayatollah have not spoken directly.

• Trump also said he was not demanding that Lebanon be part of a short-term Iran deal, though he said he wants a "https://www.axios.com/2026/06/07/israel-strikes-lebanon-beirut-iran-response-trump" target="_blank">more surgical attack on Hezbollah."

5.

Farmers and costs

• When Welker cited farmers' struggles with fertilizer costs, Trump rejected the premise: "The farmers are doing very well."
• He insisted farmers trust him and would understand higher gasoline and fertilizer prices because he is trying to end Iran's nuclear program.
• Farmers are under pressure from Trump's trade war, a drought and higher energy and https://www.axios.com/2026/05/16/farmers-agriculture-crops-iran-energy-prices" target="_blank">fertilizer costs.

The intrigue: Trump called NBC a "one-sided crooked network" before ending the interview when Welker pressed him for evidence supporting his election fraud claims.