NORAH O’DONNELL: Mr. President, thank you for doing this. I’m glad you are safe. How are you doing?
DONALD TRUMP: I’m doing well. It was quite an evening. Very difficult to watch, frankly. But doing very well.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Do you know if you were the target?
TRUMP: I don’t know. I read a manifesto. He was radicalized. His family was concerned; they reported him. He was probably a pretty sick guy.
NORAH O’DONNELL: This appears to be the third attempted assassination on your life. Why do you think so many people may be trying to kill you?
TRUMP: Consequential presidents get targeted. We’ve done a lot — turned the country around, actions overseas. When you do consequential things, it draws extremes. Abraham Lincoln, McKinley were assassinated. People go after presidents who do big things.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Your policies are controversial. Is that part of it?
TRUMP: I don’t think in those terms. I do what I think is right for the country — border, crime, national strength. Some people love it, some don’t. I get things done.
NORAH O’DONNELL: I want to walk through what happened. Around 8:30 you were seated next to the first lady. When did you know something was wrong?
TRUMP: Right around that point. You can see the expression on the first lady’s face. We heard a big bang — thought maybe a tray fell, but it wasn’t. The first lady looked very upset. Security moved quickly; they grabbed people and pulled them out. It took seconds for them to flank us and get us out. At one point I was told to drop to the floor. I wanted to see what was happening. I probably made them act a little more slowly because I was watching. They told me to go down, so we did. We went to a hold room. I tried to get them to continue the event — I didn’t want a sick person to cancel it.
NORAH O’DONNELL: You were walking and they told you to go down. Were you trying to see if you could be helpful?
TRUMP: I wanted to see what was happening. I was the president; I wanted to see if I could be helpful. But when they said drop down, that meant trouble. The first lady handled it great — she’s very strong and smart.
NORAH O’DONNELL: It looked chaotic on the tape. At one point you were down, then up. What was happening?
TRUMP: They asked me to go down on the floor. I was walking with them and they said please, go down, sir. So we did. We stayed in a hold room. I wanted to go back in; I didn’t want the event canceled. There was a great camaraderie in the room after — Democrats, Republicans, people coming together. It made a big impression.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Do you think this will change your relationship with the press?
TRUMP: We disagree on many things. I’m strong on crime and border. I think a lot of the press is aligned with Democrats. I’ve had tough words; but there were moments of camaraderie last night. People came together.
NORAH O’DONNELL: You, the vice president, the speaker, secretary of state — nearly the full line of succession — were in that ballroom. Who was the designated survivor?
TRUMP: That’s a separate issue. I will say the ballroom wasn’t the safest place. I’m building a safe ballroom on the White House grounds — with bulletproof glass, suites on top removed, one strong entrance. It’s on schedule. This is why Secret Service and law enforcement wanted it — areas with hotel rooms above ballrooms create vulnerabilities.
NORAH O’DONNELL: On video you can see the gunman running through metal detectors. He fired one or two rounds. His speed was incredible. How did he get that close with security surrounding the place?
TRUMP: He ran like a blur — fast. He ran 45 yards, they say. These people may be crazy, but they aren’t stupid; law enforcement reacted professionally. They drew their guns and took him down. The doors were sealed. They did a great job. But maybe perimeter security needs adjustment — move metal detectors and checkpoints farther away, have more equipment outside the building.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Secret Service and FBI briefed you about the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen. His manifesto references “administration officials” as targets and calls you a “pedophile, rapist, traitor.” You wrote that was “horrible” and “sick.” How do you react?
TRUMP: I read it. It’s horrible. I’m not any of those things. I was totally exonerated. You should be ashamed for reading that on national TV. He was a sick person who wrote horrible things. The family apparently reported him, the brother and sister complained, maybe called police.
NORAH O’DONNELL: He emailed family members right before the attack and cased the place. He wrote, “What the hell is the Secret Service doing? I expected security cameras at every bend… What I got is nothing.” Does that suggest failures?
TRUMP: He was incompetent — he got caught. Law enforcement did a great job. You can always find fault with security, but they learned and will make adjustments. The internet radicalizes people. The suspect had anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric and belonged to groups like “Wide Awakes” and “No Kings,” which he attended. The manifesto suggests he was radicalized online.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Do you think certain groups or funding encourage violence? You’ve accused Southern Law of financing far-right groups that were used to “rig” events.
TRUMP: There’s money flowing to various groups; it can be manipulated. But I do think the left’s hate speech is dangerous. I think many encouraging violence are far left. I think people like Southern Law have funded extremes; those are issues to investigate.
NORAH O’DONNELL: What about those who cheer political violence?
TRUMP: I think the far left is more likely to do that. I’m against political violence. People have been attacked for centuries; the internet and radicalization make it worse. When you’re a consequential president doing big things — on the border, on Iran — some people may be angered. Iran would not be happy with what’s happening. But this was a “lone wolf,” a sick person. He was complicated — smart but disturbed.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was at the dinner. Others in the room have been victims of political violence. Is there something you can do to change the trajectory?
TRUMP: This has always existed. You can strengthen security, but hate speech domestic and abroad fuels violence. We’ve made America strong and respected; when we are strong internationally, some are angry. We have to be careful, be smart, make adjustments to security. I also think events shouldn’t be canceled; a crazy person shouldn’t be allowed to cancel a First Amendment celebration.
NORAH O’DONNELL: In the hold room, you tried to get the event to continue and wanted to go back in. Why did Secret Service say you couldn’t?
TRUMP: The room was sealed and secure; once doors opened by law enforcement, they couldn’t let the president back into a breached ballroom. It was the right call.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Do you think conspiracy theories that the event was staged will grow?
TRUMP: Of course they will. People deny reality in many things. It’s sick, but it happens. Usually it takes a few months.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Secret Service and FBI are reviewing security. The king of England is coming. Any change to your events?
TRUMP: The White House grounds are safe. The king will be safe. Secret Service is meeting, making adjustments. This shows why you need secure facilities — a ballroom built on safe ground, with stronger perimeters.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Today is the first lady’s birthday. How did you deal with that after last night?
TRUMP: We got back to the White House quickly. I said happy birthday to Melania. They moved fast; it’s not far away. I think the biggest thing is don’t let nut jobs cancel events. We should continue the Correspondents’ Dinner; I hope they do it again soon with tighter security.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Will you attend again?
TRUMP: I want them to do it again. I don’t need it, I’m busy, but it’s important to not be canceled by a crazy person.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Thank you, Mr. President.
TRUMP: Thank you very much.