Trump Claims He Remained Calm During White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting

US president tells 60 Minutes his curiosity likely hindered Secret Service's ability to evacuate him quickly from the event

In an interview broadcast Sunday evening on CBS's 60 Minutes, Donald Trump discussed his experience during the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, speaking with correspondent Norah O'Donnell about the harrowing moments when gunfire erupted at the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday night.

A gunman discharged weapons at the hotel venue, though the attack did not penetrate the basement-level ballroom where Trump was present. The president recounted the incident in a measured manner, emphasizing that he did not experience significant fear as the situation developed.

"I wasn't worried," Trump stated during the interview when asked about his level of concern following the gunshots. "I understand life. We live in a crazy world."

According to Trump's account, his desire to observe what was occurring may have impeded the Secret Service's swift response to remove him from danger. "I wanted to see what was happening," he explained. "I wasn't making it that easy for them. 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."

Trump noted that he was "surrounded by great people" but acknowledged that his actions "probably made them act a little more slowly," as he repeatedly asked them to "wait a minute."

Secret Service personnel ultimately instructed both Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to take cover on the floor. "I started walking," Trump recalled. "And they said, 'Please go down, please go down on the floor.' So I went down and the first lady went down also."

Law enforcement officers engaged in an armed confrontation with the suspected shooter, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, before apprehending him. Allen was found to be carrying knives, a shotgun, and a handgun at the time of his arrest. Security personnel successfully evacuated Trump and other administration officials following the incident.

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche indicated that the shooting appears to have been politically motivated and may have targeted multiple senior government officials beyond Trump. "We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration," Blanche stated during a separate CBS News interview on Sunday.

Investigators discovered that Allen allegedly sent written communications to family members expressing hostility toward the Trump administration, characterized by some as a "manifesto." The 1,100-word document is attributed to "Cole 'coldForce' 'Friendly Federal Assassin' Allen."

The 60 Minutes conversation became heated when O'Donnell read passages from the manifesto on air containing accusations that appeared to label Trump a "rapist" and a "pedophile." Trump responded with sharp criticism of the journalist.

"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 direct criticism toward O'Donnell throughout the remainder of the interview. When she mentioned that Allen had reportedly participated in a "No Kings" demonstration, Trump retorted: "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."

Despite his frequent attacks on the media, which he characterized as being "soft on crime," Trump advocated for the White House Correspondents' Association to reschedule the annual event within the coming month.

"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 remarked, adding: "It's not that I want to go. I'm very busy. I don't need that."