MSNBC host Peter Alexander defended his former colleague, NBC News correspondent Kristen Welker, against attacks from President Donald Trump, characterizing the president's social media posts as "rage-posting" driven by frustration with factual reporting.
Trump targeted Welker following her appearance on an NBC affiliate in Washington D.C., where she previewed an episode of "Meet the Press." During the segment, Welker noted that Trump had seen mixed results regarding the performance of Republican candidates he endorsed in the midterm cycle.
In response, Trump accused Welker of "purposeful inaccuracy," citing recent primary wins by Senator Darline Graham and Oklahoma gubernatorial nominee Mike Mazzei as evidence against her assessment. He also threatened to report Welker to the Federal Communications Commission.
Alexander, who worked with Welker for over 15 years, described her as one of the "hardest-working and best-sourced reporters around." He argued that Welker's reporting on the mixed success of Trump's endorsements, even when highlighted by Trump's preferred network, Fox News, demonstrates the truth of her observations.
"The work still matters, the truth is still the truth and you deserve to know it, whether a president likes it or not," Alexander stated on his program "State of Play." He pointed out that while Trump-endorsed candidates have won primaries, six such candidates have lost in August, indicating "cracks in his record" with gubernatorial endorsements, a point that had been reported by Fox News.
Alexander expressed concern over the president's threat to use government power to suppress reporting he dislikes, stating, "What should be more concerning is the president threatening to use the levers of government to crack down on reporting that he does not like."