President Donald Trump, in an interview with CBS correspondent Norah O'Donnell that aired Sunday on 60 Minutes, described his experience during the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner and launched sharp criticisms at the media.
Recounting the Shooting
The gunman opened fire at the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday night but did not breach the basement-level ballroom where Trump was seated. The president recounted the events calmly, stating he was not particularly alarmed. “I wasn’t worried,” Trump said when asked about possible injuries. “I understand life. We live in a crazy world.”
Trump admitted that his curiosity may have slowed the Secret Service’s response. “I wanted to see what was happening. I wasn’t making it that easy for them,” he said. “I wanted to see what was going on. And by that time we started to realize maybe it was a bad problem, different kind of problem, a bad one – and different than what would be normal noise from a ballroom.” He added, “I was surrounded by great people. And I probably made them act a little more slowly. I said, ‘Wait a minute, wait a minute.’”
Secret Service officers repeatedly instructed the president and first lady Melania Trump to get down on the floor. “I started walking,” Trump said. “And they said, ‘Please go down, please go down on the floor.’ So I went down and the first lady went down also.” Officers eventually led them to safety.
Manifesto and Confrontation
The interview turned frosty when O'Donnell read portions of the suspected gunman's manifesto, which referred to Trump as a “rapist” and “pedophile.” Trump responded by calling O'Donnell a “disgrace” and the media “horrible people.” “I was waiting for you to read that, because I knew you would, because you’re horrible people,” Trump said. “Yeah he did write that, I’m not a rapist … I read the manifesto. You know, he’s a sick person. You shouldn’t be reading that on 60 Minutes, you’re a disgrace, but go ahead, let’s finish the interview.”
Trump continued to criticize O'Donnell after she noted that the suspect had attended a “No Kings” protest. “The reason you have people like that, is you have people doing ‘No Kings’. I’m not a king. What I am – If I was a king, I wouldn’t be dealing with you,” Trump shot back.
Suspect and Motive
The suspected gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was arrested after exchanging fire with law enforcement at the hotel. He was armed with knives, a shotgun, and a handgun. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the shooting appears politically motivated and may have targeted other top officials. “We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration,” Blanche told CBS News.
Allen allegedly sent writings to family members fulminating against the Trump administration, described as a “manifesto.” The 1,100-word screed is signed “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen.”
Trump on the Dinner's Future
Despite his criticisms of the press, which he called “soft on crime,” Trump urged the White House Correspondents' Association to reschedule the dinner within 30 days. “I don’t want to see it be canceled. I think it’s really bad for a crazy person to be able to cancel something like this,” Trump said. “It’s not that I want to go. I’m very busy. I don’t need that.”
