April 27, 2026 — In a “60 Minutes” interview with Norah O’Donnell the day after a man tried to force his way into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton, President Trump described what happened, reacted to language in a manifesto attributed to the suspect, and urged that the event not be canceled.
Authorities arrested 31-year-old Cole Allen, a Caltech graduate from Torrance, California, at the scene. He faces federal charges. Investigators say Allen emailed family members a document that officials are calling a “manifesto,” in which he listed “Administration officials” as targets and ranked them by priority. CBS News obtained a copy that includes language calling someone a “pedophile, rapist, and traitor.”
When O’Donnell read excerpts from that document, Mr. Trump reacted strongly, calling the passages “stunning” and rejecting the labels. “You read that crap from some sick person?” he said, denying any such accusations and adding, “I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody. I’m not a pedophile. I was totally exonerated.” He also suggested others were involved in the Epstein matter. At times he criticized the press and told O’Donnell she was “a disgrace” for reading the gunman’s words on air.
O’Donnell asked whether the manifesto appeared to be targeting the president; Mr. Trump repeatedly denied that he was the intended target and said the author was “a sick person,” adding that viewers should be ashamed to hear the language.
Describing the chaotic moments at the dinner when loud noises were heard, the president said he “wasn’t worried” and called the world “crazy.” He said he saw a change in the first lady’s expression and later described her as “very upset.” Mr. Trump said Secret Service agents surrounded him within about 10 seconds and escorted him offstage in roughly 20 seconds, explaining he had lingered briefly because he wanted to see what was happening.
“I’ve been through this before a couple of times,” he said, noting the first lady had not experienced such incidents previously but handled it well and was “very strong, smart.”
Mr. Trump praised the event’s spirit and urged organizers not to cancel the dinner, which celebrates the First Amendment and freedom of the press and was the first such dinner he agreed to attend as president. He recommended rescheduling the gathering within 30 days with increased security, saying, “I don’t want to see it be canceled,” and arguing it would be wrong for “a crazy person” to cause its cancellation. He suggested the next event should have “even more security” and a larger perimeter.
O’Donnell noted that the White House Correspondents’ Association had appreciated his attendance. Mr. Trump encouraged her to tell the group to “get it going” and expressed hope the dinner would be held again soon.