The president became particularly irked when O\u2019Donnell quoted Allen\u2019s alleged words directly, saying,\u00a0\u201cI am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his\u00a0crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you\u2019re horrible people,\u201d Trump told O\u2019Donnell after being asked for his reaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cHorrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I\u2019m not a rapist. I didn\u2019t rape anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Donald](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/www-cbsnews-com-news-trump-126474112.jpg\")
President Donald Trump berated CBS News correspondent Norah O\u2019Donnell for reading the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner shooting suspect\u2019s manifesto. CBS<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think he was referring to you?\u201d O\u2019Donnell asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a pedophile,\u201d Trump emphatically told the journalist. \u201cYou read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with all\u2026stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, let\u2019s say, Epstein or other things.\u00a0But I said to myself, \u2018You know, I\u2019ll do this interview and they\u2019ll probably\u2026\u2019 I read the manifesto. You know, he\u2019s a sick person. \u201cBut you should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I\u2019m not any of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Donnell tried to tell Trump she was just quoting the shooter\u2019s alleged words, but Trump branded her \u201cdisgraceful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be reading that on \u201960 Minutes.\u2019 You\u2019re a disgrace. But go ahead. Let\u2019s finish the interview,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Donnell then tried to move the interview onto another part of Allen\u2019s alleged manifesto \u2013 before Trump interjected, once again calling the journalist \u201cdisgraceful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has never been charged with any crime relating to Epstein.<\/p>\n
![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/president-donald-trump-appears-cbs-126473946.jpg\")
Trump slammed O\u2019Donnell as \u201chorrible\u201d and \u201cdisgraceful,\u201d denying the manifesto claims and criticizing media. CBS<\/p>\n
The president lashed out at his Democratic rivals after being questioned about Allen\u2019s motive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think that the hate speech of the Democrats much more so is\u2013 is very dangerous,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI really think it\u2019s very dangerous for the country.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Allen, of Torrance, California, previously attended a \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest in the Golden State, his sister\u00a0told NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2024, he donated $25 to ActBlue for Kamala Harris\u2019s presidential campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the sit-down, Trump branded the shooter \u201cpretty incompetent,\u201d adding, \u201cHe got caught pretty easily,\u201d before hailing law enforcement\u2019s swift response.<\/p>\n Allen, 31,\u00a0burst through the Washington Hilton<\/a>\u00a0hotel Saturday night and charged toward the ballroom, armed with a shotgun and several knives, where Trump and around 2,500 guests had gathered at the gala \u2013 before he was taken down.<\/p>\n \u201cThose guys did a good job last night. They did a really good job,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n Commotion erupted inside the ballroom \u2013 with tuxedo-clad guests were ordered to get on the floor, while Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and Vice President Vance, who were on the main stage, were bundled to safety.<\/p>\n Trump said he wasn\u2019t \u201cworried,\u201d even though he was the victim of\u00a0another assassination attempt.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t worried,\u201d he said. \u201cI understand life. We live in a crazy world.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump sustained an ear wound after being shot\u00a0by crazed gunman Thomas Crooks<\/a>\u00a0at the July 13, 2024, rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n In\u00a0September of that year,\u00a0Ryan Routh lay in wait<\/a>\u00a0with an assault rifle, attempting to kill then-candidate Trump at his Florida golf course.<\/p>\n