Topline<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump criticized CBS News host Norah O\u2019Donnell, calling her a \u201cdisgrace\u201d, after she read out a portion of the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner shooter\u2019s alleged manifesto, where he mentions allegations of sexual misconduct without naming anyone directly.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump snapped at CBS anchor Norah O\u2019Donnell when she read out the White House Correspondent Dinner shooter’s alleged manifesto during a 60 Minutes interview.<\/p>\n
Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
During the interview<\/a>, Trump was asked about the purported document, in which O\u2019Donnell said he appears to mention a motive and writes, \u201cAdministrative officials, they are targets.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Donnell then read out unsubstantiated allegations made in the manifesto, where he wrote: \u201cI am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n The president reacted angrily to the manifesto being read out during the interview, and said he knew O\u2019Donnell would read that, \u201cBecause you\u2019re horrible people.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump said, \u201cI am not a rapist, I didn\u2019t rape anybody,\u201d and when the interviewer asked if he thinks the shooter was mentioning him, the president retorted, \u201cI am not a pedophile.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump chastised O\u2019Donnell for reading \u201ccrap\u201d written by \u201csome sick person,\u201d before calling her a \u201cdisgrace\u201d and saying she should be \u201cashamed of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n What Else Did Trump Say About The Shooting?<\/p>\n When O\u2019Donnell asked Trump how worried he was when he realized a gunman had entered the area, Trump responded: \u201cI wasn\u2019t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world.\u201d When asked about First Lady Melania Trump\u2019s reaction to the shooting, the president said: \u201cPeople don\u2019t like having it said that they were scared. But who wouldn\u2019t be when you have a situation like that?\u201d The president later said, \u201cMy thought was, \u2018I\u2019ve been through this a couple of times before. She [Melania] has not to this extent. She handled it great.\u201d<\/p>\n Tangent<\/p>\n The president also said he wants the dinner to be rescheduled, because he doesn\u2019t want \u201ca crazy person to be able to cancel something like this.\u201d Trump said he hopes \u201cwe\u2019re going to do it again\u2026we should do it within 30 days, and they’ll have even more security, and they’ll have bigger perimeter security. It’ll be fine.\u201d He then added: \u201cIt\u2019s not that I want to go, I\u2019m very busy, I don\u2019t need that. I think it\u2019s very important that they do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n What Do We Know About The Suspected Shooter And His Manifesto?<\/p>\n The gunman who opened fire at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner on Saturday night has been identified by several<\/a> outlets as 31-year-old California-resident Cole Tomas Allen. According to officials, Allen was carrying a a shotgun and a handgun, which the Los Angeles Times<\/a> reports was purchased legally in California. In his purported manifesto<\/a> the shooter mentions his \u201crules of engagement\u201d and designates Trump administration officials as targets \u201cprioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.\u201d The shooter mentions that \u201cMr. Patel\u201d is excluded from his list of intended targets, likely a reference to FBI Director Kash Patel. The manifesto included other rules of engagement where the gunman says he doesn\u2019t intend to target Secret Service, security officials or police unless it\u2019s \u201cnecessary.\u201d In the manifesto the shooter also appears to ridicule the security arrangements for the event, saying \u201cwhat the hell is the Secret Service doing? \u2026 No damn security. Not in transport. Not in the hotel. Not in the event.\u201d<\/p>\n What Has Trump Said About The Manifesto?<\/p>\n While Trump attacked O\u2019Donnell for asking him about the manifesto, the president mentioned it earlier in the day when in called into Fox News. \u201cWhen you read his manifesto, he hates Christians,\u201d Trump told Fox<\/a>, adding, \u201cThat’s one thing for sure. He hates Christians, a hatred.\u201d Reports about the manifesto don\u2019t mention any hatred directed at Christians, however, the shooter mentions being asked to \u201cturn the other cheek\u201d as a Christian and retorts \u201cTurning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed…Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor\u2019s crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n