Trump clashes with 60 Minutes O’Donnell over shooter manifesto
During his Sunday appearance on *60 Minutes*, President Donald Trump clashed with host Norah O’Donnell after she read passages from an alleged manifesto tied too correspondents’ dinner shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen. O’Donnell included lines accusing Trump of being a “pedophile, rapist, and traitor,” which promptly led Trump to denounce her as a “disgrace,” deny the allegations, and argue such claims are unconnected to him. Trump also criticized the broadcast of the manifesto on-air, while O’Donnell questioned whether the accusations were directed at him.
Trump further disputed other allegations from the document, including claims about inadequate security at the Washington Hilton, and praised the Secret Service for quickly subduing and arresting the suspect. He said the dinner should be rescheduled with “more” security and suggested the disruption questions security but dismissed claims that the venue’s protection was insufficient.
President Donald Trump‘s 60 Minutes appearance on Sunday night got heated after host Norah O’Donnell read from an alleged manifesto of the suspected White House correspondents’ dinner shooter.
O’Donnell read to Trump parts of the manifesto that the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, allegedly wrote before the shooting. One of the lines she read accused Trump of being a “pedophile, rapist, and traitor.”
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O’Donnell’s recitation prompted an immediate rebuke from Trump, who called her a “disgrace.”
“I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you’re horrible people,” the president said. “Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.”
O’Donnell briefly interjected, saying, “Oh, do you think he was referring to you?”
Trump then continued to deny those claims, rehashing his denial of having anything to do with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.
“I’m not a pedophile,” Trump continued. “You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with old 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.”
He further castigated O’Donnell for reading the line on-air, saying she should be “ashamed.”
“You shouldn’t be reading that on 60 Minutes,” Trump said. “You’re a disgrace. But go ahead. Let’s finish the interview.”
The interview featured O’Donnell reading at least one other line from the manifesto, specifically the claim that security at the Washington Hilton was inadequate. Allen allegedly wrote that “the level of incompetence is insane” and that he could have walked in with a machine gun and “no one would have noticed s***.”
Trump dismissed the claim, calling the suspect “incompetent” and praising Secret Service’s work subduing and arresting him in the lobby of the hotel.
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“Well he was pretty incompetent too because he got caught and he got caught pretty easily. So I’d say he was pretty incompetent too,” he said. “I could take any event having to do with security or anything else and I could always find fault. Those guys did a good job last night.”
Trump also said in the interview that the dinner must be rescheduled, saying it’s “very important” that it is held again and vowing “more” security than before.
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