US President Donald Trump had a tense exchange with CBS News correspondent Norah O'Donnell during a 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, calling her “disgraceful” after she read passages from a purported manifesto attributed to Cole Tomas Allen.
Authorities identified Allen as a 31-year-old California man accused of breaching the security perimeter at the White House Correspondents' Dinner the previous night.
-
India's Market Leaders To Decode The New Samvat At NDTV Profit Ignite In Mumbai On Oct 28 -
NDTV Profit IGNITE Diwali 2026: Top Market Veterans Decode Wealth Creation -
The Week Ahead: Earnings Season, Fed Policy Verdict And Crude Oil In Focus -
Silver Is Now Down From Rs 4.2 Lakh To Rs 1.9 Lakh: Where It Goes From Here -
NDTV Ignite, The Trillion-Dollar Trajectory: India's Road to 2030
The confrontation came when O'Donnell presented Trump with language from Allen's writings, sent to his family minutes before Saturday's attack.
"He appears to reference a motive in it," O'Donnell said, quoting the document: "Administration officials, they are targets."
She then read a second passage in which Allen wrote that he was "no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes."
Trump's reaction was immediate and furious. "I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would, because you're horrible people. Horrible people," he said. "I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody. I'm not a pedophile. Excuse me. Excuse me."
Trump further stated: "You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with 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."
ALSO READ: 'I Wasn't Making It Easy': Trump On White House Shooting Evacuation
When O'Donnell tried to clarify — "Mr. President, these are the gunman's words" — Trump cut her off. "You shouldn't be reading that on 60 Minutes. You're a disgrace. But go ahead. Let's finish the interview," he said, adding: "You're disgraceful."
Trump was referencing, what reportedly is, his well-documented legal history. A federal civil jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, a verdict Trump has consistently contested. He has also denied any wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein, whose files he has claimed exonerate him.
ALSO READ: Starmer, Trump Discuss Urgent Need To Restore Shipping In Strait of Hormuz
Earlier in the same interview, he had said he wanted the Correspondents' Dinner rescheduled within 30 days, adding: "I don't want a crazy person to be able to cancel something like this."
Allen faces federal charges of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer. Prosecutors said further charges are expected.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.