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The Kristen Welker era of "Meet the Press" is off to a bleak start. 

The high-stakes sit down with disgraced former president Donald Trump was all risk and little reward for Welker as she assumed the esteemed moderator chair of "Meet the Press" for the first time Sunday. Television executives I surveyed before and after the interview were baffled that NBC News and Welker willfully chose to take on such a fraught assignment, given Trump's notorious propensity to lie. As one television executive put it to me, "It was a crazy way to set the tone of what 'Meet the Press' would be under her."

But the Peacock network opted to do it — and NBC News spent the entire week hyping Welker as someone who "met the moment" as a White House correspondent when "power was held to account" during Trump's tumultuous presidency. Unfortunately, Welker failed spectacularly to meet the moment during her interview with Trump.

Welker allowed Trump to make a number of statements wholly untethered to reality on a range of critical issues without tenacious, resolute, or meaningful pushback. Trump, a rapid-fire lie machine, did his usual song and dance. He lied about the election. He lied about the insurrection that his lies had spawned. And he lied about pretty much every topic that Welker broached.

Throughout it all, Welker seemed ill-equipped to handle Trump's trademark bravado. Lacking any noticeable fire in her belly, she at times timidly tried to set the facts straight. But Welker lacked the necessary fervor and apparent grasp of the subject material the massive platform requires to effectively counter Trump, who as The New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker later told her, is like a "bulldozer shoveling falsehoods." Trump clearly smelled weakness in the air, taking control of the interview as he ignored Welker's hopeless — yet constant — pleas to "stay on track" and continued flooding the zone with outrageous lies.

"Mr. President, let me just ask this question, please—," she pleaded at one point.

It was a low moment in Welker's otherwise pristine career. And it's sure to have consequences for the storied Sunday public affairs show, given that Welker's debut was NBC News' chance to refresh the program, define what role it will serve in the 2024 election, and win over the hearts and minds of viewers.

While the episode will likely see better-than-usual ratings because of the debut of Welker and anticipated interview with Trump, it is a fair bet that the manner in which she executed the Trump sit-down will have alienated a not insignificant swath of the audience. CNN, for instance, saw a tsunami of criticism wash over the network in the wake of its (also disastrous) town hall with Trump this spring — and the network is still trying to win back viewers.

But the interview also speaks to a larger problem that — somehow in 2023 — continues to confound the news media and the well-compensated television anchors tasked with effectively holding power to account. Even after Trump subverted democracy during the 2020 election, inspiring an actual insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, newsrooms continue to struggle with how to cover him.

It's arguable that, at this juncture, there is really no need to interview Trump. After years and years of seeing how he dishonestly operates, what exactly is there to glean from a sit-down? The near-certain result is that the outlet will record a stream of lies rushing out of his mouth, mixed in with absurd grievances about how supposedly unfair the system treats him. Does any of that really serve the public?

Some news executives seem to believe that Trump can make "news" during interviews, but pressing him on policy issues rarely yields consequential results. The public is well familiar with Trump and already knows that he is a man estranged with the truth. Further, it's hard to believe that voters are deciding whether to support him based on his stance on specific issues.

As Trump once infamously bragged, he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and still maintain support from his loyal base of fans. Trump's supporters are choosing to stand behind him because of his blustering personality and style. They lock arms with him because they believe he is boldly standing up for them and taking the fight to the elites. Not because of his position on Taiwan. 

If it is necessary to interview Trump, newsrooms need to approach the task differently than they would any other interview. While there is a temptation among the D.C. class to pretend that newsrooms still operate in a 1990s-like era in which Republicans and Democrats are treated as opposite sides of the same coin, doing so is a grave error. The Republican Party of 2023 is very different than the Republican Party of yesteryear. And its leader, the twice impeached and four-times indicted Trump, is no normal politician. 

When interviewing Trump, the goal cannot be to make "news" like one might attempt with a typical politician. The purpose of the interview must be to hold power to account. It must be about asserting the facts in a meaningful way and forcing Trump to confront them. He will still, of course, lie — but at least the audience might be able to see through the showmanship if the interviewer displays a firm grip on the subject matter and exerts command.

Unfortunately, few in the press who have taken on the assignment have proven capable of executing the difficult task in a compelling way. That doesn't bode well for the news industry or, more importantly, democracy at large.

———  BELOW THE FOLD  ———

Repercussions  for Russell: The fallout stemming from a joint investigation that alleged Russell Brand sexually assaulted four women continued on Monday. The investigation, conducted by The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4’s "Dispatches," alleged the assaults took place between 2006 and 2013. Brand has flatly denied any illegal behavior. On Monday, London’s Metro Police said it is investigating one of the alleged assaults, which took place in 2003; Brand canceled the remainder of his comedy tour; and the actor's publisher paused his book deal.

🔎 Zooming in: While Brand faces serious allegations, he has a vocal group of supporters backing him. Brand has become somewhat of a contrarian hero in right-wing media in recent years, aligning himself with the Tucker Carlsons of the world and ranting against the so-called establishment. Many on the right have been primed to believe that reporting on such figures is really about deplatforming them because of their political viewpoints. And, for that reason, they choose not to trust any of the reporting. Don't believe me? Take a look at the comments on this Fox News Instagram post. Or check out what Elon Musk is publicly saying. 

First in Reliable | Boardroom's Boom: Boardroom — the Kevin Durant-Rich Kleiman founded media network that covers the business of sports, music, and culture — is launching an advisory arm. The company said that Boardroom Advisory will be a membership-based community that works with athletes and other entertainment figures to "create opportunity through venture and private equity investing, sports ownership opportunities, business strategy, and content creation." To that end, sports executive Lorenzo McCloud will join the company as director of talent relations.

► "We’re launching this new vertical as part of Boardroom because it speaks to the ethos of the brand: That through our network, knowledge, and content flywheel, we can create more access and more opportunity," Kleiman said in a statement. Durant added that the advisory arm is a "natural extension of the brand" and "something we've wanted to do for a long time.'

Netanyahu's Nudge: During a sit-down discussion on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Elon Musk to do more to curtail antisemitism on his X platform, which has become a haven for hate speech under the erratic billionaire's watch. "I know your commitment to free speech," Netanyahu told Musk. "But I also know your opposition to antisemitism. You’ve spoken about it, tweeted about it. And all I can say is, I hope you find, within the confines of the First Amendment, the ability to stop not only antisemitism, or roll it back as best you can, but any collective hatred of people…. I know you’re committed to that and I hope you succeed. And it’s not an easy task, but I encourage you and urge you to find a balance." Musk said, once again, that he is "against attacking any group" and it "doesn't matter who it is." But, of course, Musk has declared war on the Anti-Defamation League, in addition to having allowed extremists and racists back onto the platform. CNN's Brian Fung and Hadas Gold have more here.

Date With Dominion: Mark your calendars for September 2024. That's when Dominion Voting Systems will face off in court with Newsmax over the right-wing channel's airing of 2020 election lies. "The decision by Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis means — barring an out-of-court settlement — Trump’s lies about the 2020 election will be front and center at a four-week trial during the closing weeks of the 2024 election," CNN's Marshall Cohen, who broke the news, wrote. Read Cohen's full story.

The Talk Show Turnaround: Well, that was short lived. After several talk shows announced they would return to air amid the Hollywood strikes, most have walked back their decisions over the last 48 hours. Bill Maher announced Monday that he would pause the premiere of his show, just days after the "Real Time" host sparked backlash by outlining reasons why he was determined to return to air. In doing so, Maher joined Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Hudson, and "The Talk" in moving to abandon plans to launch fall seasons during the writers' work stoppage. All of the shows had generated fierce blowback for attempts to restart production, with the WGA even moving to picket outside their sets. CNN's Jordan Valinsky has more here.

► Sherri Shepherd, however, chose to return on Monday, saying that she is the primary writer, but that she stands "in solidarity with my union." 

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino and produced with the assistance of Liam Reilly. Have feedback? Send us an email here. You can follow us on Instagram and Threads. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow.