What Trump Said Off-Air: NBC Cuts Reveal Key Claims on Tariffs, Bezos, and Recession

https://meidasnews.com/news/what-trump-said-off-air-nbc-cuts-reveal-key-claims-on-tariffs-bezos-and-recession

Read what wasn’t aired

• J.D. Wolf
• 2 days ago

In the full, unedited version of Donald Trump’s recent Meet the Press interview with Kristen Welker—released online by NBC but not aired in full during the broadcast—Trump made several striking remarks that were omitted from the televised segment.

 

One such moment came when Trump claimed credit for getting Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to remove tariff impact notices from the platform. “I asked him about it and he said I don’t want to do that and he took it off immediately,” Trump said, calling Bezos “a very nice guy” and suggesting a friendly relationship between the two. 

Welker: What did you say to Jeff Bezos?

Trump: He’s just a very nice guy. We have a relationship. I asked him about it and he said I don’t want to do that and he took it off immediately. pic.twitter.com/lE4xtTC4lo

— Acyn (@Acyn) May 4, 2025

The removal of such notices undermines public transparency by severing the direct link between rising consumer prices and Trump’s tariff policies.

Other remarks that were cut from the interview that aired included Trump’s insistence that prices for eggs “were down 87%” under his administration, citing White House Easter egg hunts as anecdotal proof, despite Welker reminding him the price spike was caused by a bird flu outbreak. 

Trump: Eggs.. you were the one who asked me. It was the first week. I didn’t even know what you were talking about. Egg prices were so high you couldn’t buy eggs. They didn’t have any eggs.. We had Easter at the WH and we had thousands of eggs and they were down 87%.

Welker:… pic.twitter.com/volZix9uRr

— Acyn (@Acyn) May 4, 2025

Trump also returned to debunked claims about the 2020 election, asserting the results were “rigged” and insisting he “won a lot of court cases” despite losing the vast majority. 

Trump: The election was rigged…

Welker: I don’t want to look back. You took your case to court about your allegations..

Trump: There’s no question. The election was rigged. The facts are in and it’s still being litigated.

Welker: You did take your case to court more than 60… pic.twitter.com/2I1vycdLgL

— Acyn (@Acyn) May 4, 2025

He went further to suggest that “China is eating the tariffs” rather than U.S. consumers or businesses. That is not the reality. 

Trump: What people don’t understand is.. the country eats the tariff, the company eats the tariff and it’s not passed along at all… China is eating the tariffs pic.twitter.com/oC30AQokR0

— Acyn (@Acyn) May 4, 2025

Trump also downplayed recession concerns by saying, “anything can happen,” demonstrating a nonchalant attitude toward a severe economic downturn .

Welker: Are you worried about a recession?

Trump: No..

Welker: Do you think it could happen?

Trump: Anything can happen.. pic.twitter.com/idCz3JGt3z

— Acyn (@Acyn) May 4, 2025

These unaired statements raise questions about editorial choices in broadcast journalism, especially as Trump continues to air grievances about 60 Minutes for what he claims was an unfairly edited interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. While time constraints are common in televised interviews, withholding full conversations—especially those containing controversial or revealing statements—can fuel partisan claims of media bias.

Releasing full interviews, as MSNBC ultimately did, could help restore public trust and offer a more complete view of political figures’ positions.