EXCLUSIVE: Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker has landed a sit down with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his first American television interview, coming at a time when Donald Trump has been exerting economic pressure and has talked of “taking” the country.
The interview was taped on Thursday morning in Cuba, with the first excerpt to be shown on Meet the Press NOW at 4 p.m. ET and on NBC Nightly News, and throughout the week on Today and NBC News Now. An extended version will air on Meet the Press on Sunday and the full interview will be available on NBCNews.com.
The last time a Cuban leader appeared on Meet the Press was in 1959, when Fidel Castro was interviewed.
Welker was the first network correspondent inside Venezuela since the U.S. removed leader Nicolás Maduro. She interviewed Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.