Donald Trump angrily denied being 'a paedophile' in a tense60 Minutesinterviewin Washington on Sunday, confronting CBS anchor Norah O'Donnell after she read from the alleged shooter's manifesto following theWhite House Correspondents' Dinner attack.
The clash came after a chaotic night at the Washington Hilton, where Trump, the first lady and senior administration officials were bundled away by Secret Service when gunfire broke out outside the ballroom on Saturday. Guests in tuxedos and evening gowns reportedly dived under round tables as shots were heard.
One officer was struck but saved by a bulletproof vest and is expected to make a full recovery. Investigators now believe theshooting was aimed at Trump and other top officialsattending the black‑tie event.
Authorities have named the suspected gunman as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California. He is accused of opening fire near the venue and is alleged to have sent a series of messages to relatives shortly beforehand, describing himself as a 'Friendly Federal Assassin' and railing against what he portrayed as the crimes of the US administration. Allen is due to appear in court on Monday, but nothing is confirmed yet and much of what has emerged so far about his motives and writings should be treated with caution.
In the interview, O'Donnell put some of those alleged writings directly to the president. Reading from a document said to have been sent by Allen shortly before the attack, she quoted a line in which the author denounced a 'paedophile, rapist and traitor.' Though Trump was not named in that sentence, the surrounding passages made clear the reference was to 'administration officials: prioritised from highest-ranking to lowest,' with an apparent exception for FBI Director Kash Patel.
Trump cut across as O'Donnell read the passage. According to the Mirror, he snapped back, 'I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because ... you're horrible people. Horrible people.' He went on, 'Yeah, he did write that. I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody. I'm not a paedophile. Excuse me. Excuse me. I'm not a paedophile. You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with all – stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated.'
The president then turned his fire on his critics, claiming, 'Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, lets say, Epstein or other things.' He added that he had expected O'Donnell to use the manifesto during the interview and told her, 'You should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I'm not any of those things.'
CBS has not publicly commented on the exchange in the material reported so far, and there is no detailed response from O'Donnell herself in the available accounts. The alleged manifesto cited in the segment has not been released in full by law enforcement, so its exact wording and context remain unverified.
Investigators examining Allen's digital trail are reported to have found anti‑Trump and anti‑Christian material on his social media accounts. Officials were also said to have received writings from his brother, including a passage that expands on the same moral logic Allen appeared to invoke in the alleged 'paedophile, rapist and traitor' line directed at Trump.
One excerpt, as reported, reads: 'Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I'm not the person raped in a detention camp. I'm not the fisherman executed without trial. I'm not a schoolkid blown up, or a child starved, or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration. Turning the other cheek when someone else is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor's crimes.'
Source: International Business Times UK
