The White House Correspondents’ Dinner had just started Sunday night when a lone gunman crashed into the lobby, firing a gun and hitting one Secret Service agent in the leg before he was quickly taken down. As per protocol, the President was whisked back to the White House, where he said he was anxious to do press interviews.
In this extraordinary interview with journalist Norah O’Donnell, directly after, Trump is caught when she starts to read the shooter’s manifesto, where he writes, “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.”
NORAH O’DONNELL: The so-called manifesto is a stunning thing to read, Mr. President. He appears to reference a motive in it. He writes this quote, “Administration officials, they are targets.” And he also wrote this, “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” What’s your reaction to that?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you’re– you’re he– you’re horrible people. Horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I’m– I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Oh you think– do you think he was referring to you?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I’m not a pedophile. Excuse me. Excuse me. I’m not a pedophile. 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. Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, little’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.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Mr. President these are the gunman’s words –
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And I was never– excuse me. Excuse me. You shouldn’t be reading that on 60 Minutes. You’re a disgrace. But go ahead. Let’s finish the interview.
NORAH O’DONNELL: The other thing that he wrote, in the–
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You– you’re disgraceful.