Kristen Welker − political journalist, host of NBC News' preeminent political interview show "Meet the Press"and sometimes target of attacks by President Donald Trump − has a lot on her mind.
The midterm elections are coming up, for which Welker will be an important on-air personality for NBC News, plus she has her weekly "Meet the Press" interviews and the current conflicts between journalists and the White House to contend with. And she's pretty concerned about the rise of AI, on a professional and personal level.
"I'm obsessed with AI," Welker, 50, tells USA TODAY in a recent interview in Washington, D.C. "I've lived my whole life not really knowing about AI and I've got to get up to speed.
"I was at my daughter's school and they were talking
about the fact that they were introducing AI instruction in kindergarten," she says. "I was like, 'AI? She's just in kindergarten!' But that's our world now."
Welker is one of the journalists trying to make sense of our modern world for herself and for her viewers on America's longest-running TV show (NBC, Sunday mornings, check local listings).
"My role as moderator of 'Meet the Press' is the same as Martha Rountree's when she first founded the show back in 1947, which is to get answers on behalf of the American people and to hold elected officials to account," Welker says. "That tone is so critical to what we do to make sure that we're not having a shouting match. We're having a conversation that people across the political spectrum can appreciate, can listen to and can learn from."
Kristen Welker on Trump interview, attacks and 'FCC rebuke' post
It's not easy to create a conversation for everyone in 2026, when the country feels divided and media is under attack from seemingly all sides, including from Trump. The president routinely calls out individual journalists by name on TV and social media. His administration has also tried banning certain news outlets from the White House press room.
Welker, who has interviewed Trump multiple times over his decade-long political career, became the subject of his ire this summer, when hewalked out of an interview with her in Wisconsin in June.
"They're crooked. Just like you're crooked. Your press is crooked and 'Meet the Press' is crooked," Trump said to Welker before storming out.
Welker shakes off the incident, and any criticism Trump may throw at her. "I have covered him since 2015. It's not the first time he's taken issue with my reporting," she says. "I certainly stand by my reporting, and I try to keep my head down and just stay focused."
Welker doesn't expect this to be the last time Trump ever has words for her. "I just keep moving forward. That's exactly how I approached that instance and how I plan to approach every other instance," she explains.
And she's probably not wrong in her predictions: In August, Trump posted to his Truth Social site that Welker "will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment" after he took issue with a comment characterizing the "success" of his political endorsements. NBC brushed it off, much as Welker herself does: "Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her," a spokesperson for NBC News said in a statement shared with USA TODAY at the time.
Why politics still excite the 'Meet the Press' host
In spite of these difficulties, Welker has a palpable excitement and energy when she talks about her tough interviews with Trump or Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel. She calls the process of covering the second Trump administration exciting and "dynamic."
"I always want to be a part of [the political] conversation," she says, discussing her journalistic ambitions that started in childhood. "Political journalism has never been more important. ... People have real questions about all of these issues, and to be able to help further that conversation and to ask the tough but important questions, it's just the greatest honor. I'm even more excited about it now than when I was growing up."
She may be grown up now, but Welker doesn't think she's done growing.
"I'm consistently learning and building every Sunday," she says of her three-year tenure on "Press." "I've learned to trust myself along the way in doing interviews … to build up a rapport with these guests and to trust my instincts when it comes to follow-up questions and to really listen carefully. Has the person I'm interviewing answered my question? If not, it's my responsibility to get an answer on behalf of the American people.
"I mean, I'm not that scrappy young journalist standing on the State House steps in Rhode Island," she adds, referring to her early days as a reporter at WLNE-TV in Providence, "but I've taken all of those lessons with me and built upon them in the moderator's chair."
What does Welker think will happen in the midterm elections?
She hopes to capitalize on trust in herself, and the trust from her viewers on the Nov. 3 midterms, in which she will be helping share results for NBC News viewers alongside other hosts and correspondents. She makes no predictions about what will happen when the polls close (NBC's election coverage starts at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on Nov. 3.)
"I think it's important that we have an open mind and see what happens with these races, because what I am seeing and feeling on the ground when I hit the campaign trail is that voters are engaged," she says. "We are going to have an all-hands-on-deck coverage. I'm excited to be there with Steve Kornacki, who's going to be at the big board doing his incredible thing that he does that captivates all of us."
And whether Kornacki will wear his trademark khakis, Welker couldn't say.
"I have not asked Steve Kornacki what he's wearing on election night, but I promise you this: [We] will deliver the best coverage anywhere, hands down."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Meet the Press' host Kristen Welker on Trump attacks and AI in kindergarten | Exclusive
