'I’m neither a rapist nor pedophile': Trump rejects 'radicalised' shooter’s allegations, slams media in explosive interview | Watch

In a sit-down with CBS’s 60 Minutes following a security breach at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, President Donald Trump addressed the allegations contained in a manifesto written by the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, flatly denying claims of sexual violence and misconduct.

The incident, which saw Secret Service agents rush the President from the ballroom as shots rang out, has been linked to a suspect who reportedly penned a "radicalised" manifesto. During the interview, host Norah O’Donnell read an excerpt from the document, in which the suspect wrote:

"I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes."

Trump's reaction to this was immediate and visceral.

"Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would," Trump told O’Donnell, calling the press "horrible people" for highlighting the attacker's rhetoric. "Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody."

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When O'Donnell followed up by asking if he believed the shooter was referring specifically to him, Trump said: "I’m not a pedophile. Excuse me. Excuse me. I’m not a pedophile. You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with all stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated."

Earlier in the interview, President Trump described the chaos of the shooting, saying he initially resisted the Secret Service’s attempts to evacuate him because he "wanted to see what was going on."

"I wasn’t making it that easy for them," Trump said of the agents who surrounded him. "I wanted to see what was happening... I asked them to wait a minute."

The President praised the professionalism of law enforcement, describing the suspect, who reportedly ran 45 yards before being intercepted, as moving like a "blur." Trump called the attacker a "pretty sick guy" who had transitioned from a Christian believer to an "anti-Christian" extremist.

Also read | Magnetometers, Secret Service and more: The security measures that White House dinner shooter bypassed

Why is the interview significant?

The interview comes at a time of immense tension between the White House and CBS. The network recently settled a $20 billion lawsuit filed by Trump over the editing of a 2024 interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Veteran journalists like Scott Pelley have publicly slammed the settlement as a "crumbling" under political pressure.

What we know about the shooter

Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old man from Torrance, California, was arrested at the scene at the Washington Hilton on April 25 after attempting to breach the ballroom where President Trump was attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Allen’s academic and professional background initially reflected that of a high-achieving individual. He graduated from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017 and later completed a Master’s degree in Computer Science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2025.

Professionally, he worked as a part-time tutor at C2 Education in Torrance, where he was recognised as “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024. He also described himself as an amateur video game developer and mechanical engineer.

However, investigators say his trajectory took a darker turn in the period leading up to the attack. According to law enforcement and a manifesto he sent to family members shortly before the incident, Allen had become increasingly radicalised.

While federal records indicate he made a small political donation in 2024, his family told authorities that his views grew more extreme over time, including rhetoric described as “anti-Christian” and discussions about fixing perceived problems in the world. In his writings, he referred to himself as the “Friendly Federal Assassin” and outlined a “priority list” of targets, placing members of the Trump administration at the top. Officials, including the FBI and President Donald Trump, have called him a “lone wolf” who acted independently without a wider conspiracy.

Details of the attack reveal how Allen was able to gain access to the venue. He had checked in as a guest at the Washington Hilton, which allowed him to bypass initial layers of security. At the time of the shooting, he was armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, a .38-caliber handgun, and multiple knives.

He now faces federal charges, including assault on a federal officer and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. Although he was not shot during the arrest, he was treated for a knee injury sustained while being restrained.