Donald Trump expressed his anger towards CBS reporter Norah O’Donnell after she confronted him with allegations contained in the political document that investigators claimed was authored by White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen.
During his 60 Minutes interview last night, O’Donnell read passages from the purported manifesto of the shooter involved in the shooting. After this, Trump labeled him a “disgrace”, adding that she should be ashamed of herself.
This heated discussion occurred during Trump’s most recent ’60 Minutes’ interview on CBS News on Sunday evening, mere hours after it was reported that 31-year-old Cole Allen had composed a 1,052-word document detailing his motivations shortly before he began shooting outside the White House Ballroom.
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‘You’re horrible people,’ Trump rips Norah O’Donnell
In the text, Allen asserted that it was his “righteous duty” to target officials associated with the Trump administration.
Tensions heightened when journalist Norah O’Donnell cited a passage from the purported manifesto: “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes”. The remark visibly infuriated Trump, who responded immediately.
“Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you’re horrible people,” Trump said, countering the insinuation.
“Horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody,” the POTUS continued.
When questioned about whether he thought the remark was aimed at him, Trump replied with conviction, dismissing the allegation completely.
“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,” he asserted.
The President elaborated, implying that those on “the other side” had ties to individuals such as Jeffrey Epstein, while emphasizing that the manifesto represented the mentality of “a sick person.”
“Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, let’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,” Trump stated.
O’Donnell defends herself, but Trump calls her a ‘disgrace’
Despite O’Donnell’s explanation that she was simply quoting the words of the suspect, Trump reiterated his stance, labeling her as ‘disgraceful’ and questioning the editorial judgment that led to the airing of the excerpts.
“You shouldn’t be reading that on ’60 Minutes’. You are a disgrace. But go ahead, let’s finish the interview,” he said.
The interaction remained tense as O’Donnell sought to transition to another part of the manifesto, only for Trump to interject once more, reiterating his criticism.
It is important to note that Trump has never faced any charges related to the high-profile Epstein Files case.
This controversy arose following a security incident at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night. Allen reportedly burst into the hotel armed with a shotgun and several knives, making his way toward the ballroom where Trump and nearly 2,500 guests had assembled for the gala event.
Who is Who is Norah O’Donnell?
Norah O’Donnell serves as the senior correspondent for CBS News and is also a contributing correspondent for 60 Minutes. Prior to this role, O’Donnell was the managing editor and anchor of the CBS Evening News for over five years, in addition to hosting CBS News Election Specials. She is the host of CBS 24/7’s Person to Person, where she engages in interviews that delve deeper than the headlines through meaningful dialogue.
O’Donnell is a journalist who has won multiple Emmy Awards and boasts nearly thirty years of experience in reporting on significant global events and conducting influential, newsworthy interviews. She has reported on eight presidential elections and has interviewed every living president of the United States, including the late former President Jimmy Carter. In 2024, O’Donnell conducted an exclusive interview with the late former Pope Francis in Rome, marking a historic first for an American journalist to have a papal interview of this nature.
