Washington:

US President Donald Trump lashed out at a reporter for quoting the apparent manifesto of suspected gunman Cole Allen, who tried to enter the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night (local time). Trump also referred to the suspected attacker as “radicalised”, “anti-Christian” and a “pretty sick guy”.

Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old California man, armed with multiple guns and knives, tried to breach a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night while Trump was present at the event. He fired several rounds before being subdued inside the hotel complex just metres away from the ballroom, where the event was being held. 

“I’m Not A Rapist”

Hours after the incident, Trump spoke to CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell on Sunday. During the interview, Trump initially appeared relatively subdued in his responses and seemed to share a sense of camaraderie with journalists who hosted him at their annual dinner and experienced the same initial panic. But when O’Donnell quoted Allen’s manifesto, reading – “I am no longer willing to permit a paedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes,”– Trump lost his cool. 

“I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would, because you’re horrible people. Horrible people,” the President said. 

“Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody,” he added. 

O’Donnell tried to interject, asking, “Oh, do you think he was referring to you?”

But Trump blew past her question, declaring, “I’m not a paedophile.”

He seemed to deem the mention as an insinuation about his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was not mentioned in the manifesto, and said, “You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with all — the stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated.”

“Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, let’s say, Epstein or other things. But I said to myself, “You know, I’ll do this interview and they’ll probably”– I read the manifesto. You know, he’s a sick person. But you should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I’m not any of those things,” he fumed.

‘Pretty Sick Guy’

Talking about the shooter, Trump said, “I read a manifesto. He’s radicalised. He was a Christian–a believer–and then he became an anti-Christian… He was probably a pretty sick guy.”

The president also blamed “hate speech” by Democratic leaders for the political violence in America, claiming it was very dangerous.

“I’ve been through this before a couple of times, and the first lady has not to this extent. She handled it great. She’s very strong… We went to a holding room for a while, and I tried to get them to continue the event if possible,” he added.

‘Not Worried’

The president also claimed he “wasn’t worried” when he heard the shots being fired. “I understand life. We live in a crazy world.”

This was the third assassination attempt on Trump’s life in the past two years. When asked why it took time for the Secret Service to escort him out of the room after shots were fired, while Vice President JD Vance was evacuated within seconds.

“I wanted to see what was happening, and I wasn’t making it that easy for ’em. I wanted to see what was going on…I was surrounded by great people. And I probably made them act a little bit more slowly. I said, “Wait a minute, wait a minute. Lemme see. Wait a minute”,” he said.

He added that he ‘really’ wanted to go back in.