Trump Attacks CBS Correspondent for Reading Shooter’s Manifesto
During a 60 Minutes interview, correspondent Norah O’Donnell read excerpts from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter’s manifesto, which referenced targeting “administrative officials” and an unnamed “pedophile” and “rapist.” O’Donnell presented these as the gunman’s stated motives when asking Trump how the shooting would affect his relationship with the press.
Trump responded with hostility, calling O’Donnell and CBS News “horrible people” and a “disgrace” for reading the manifesto’s language on air. He denied being a rapist or pedophile, saying he was “totally exonerated,” and accused O’Donnell of associating him with unfounded claims.
Trump pivoted to attacking Democrats and the press, claiming they are “almost like one and the same” on issues like crime. He stated his associates were not involved with Epstein or related matters, redirecting blame toward unnamed figures on “the other side.”
O’Donnell clarified that she was reading the gunman’s own words from the manifesto, not making accusations against Trump. Trump continued to object to her reading the text on air, asserting she should be ashamed and demanding she stop.
The exchange occurred as Trump was being interviewed about Saturday’s shooting at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Trump’s defensive response and attacks on O’Donnell’s journalism for simply citing the shooter’s publicly available manifesto demonstrated his intolerance for any reporting that presents unfavorable information without editorial protection.