Less than 24 hours after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, President Donald Trump escalated his criticism of the media during a ‘60 Minutes’ interview on Sunday.
Trump directed his remarks at CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell after she read aloud a passage from the alleged shooter’s manifesto during their interview. The shooter had written, ‘I’m no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.’
O’Donnell asked Trump for his reaction to the statement. His response:
‘I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you’re horrible people. Horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody. 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.’
Trump went on to claim that Democrats were the ones who associated with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite government files referencing Trump. He then accused O’Donnell of being ‘ashamed’ of herself for reading the manifesto’s contents on air.
‘You shouldn’t be reading that on ‘60 Minutes.’ You’re a disgrace.’
The interview later shifted to a more civil tone, with Trump recounting his experience during the shooting at the dinner. He walked O’Donnell through his actions atop the dais when gunshots rang out.
Trump also praised CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang, who serves as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, calling her ‘a terrific person’ doing ‘a great job.’ However, he maintained that his overall relationship with the press remains strained due to policy disagreements.
‘I don’t think I could ever change my feelings on certain policies. I want strong borders. They want open borders. There’s such a difference… After the event—meaning it looked like things were good, we knew he was caught—I was given the information immediately. There was a camaraderie that you just have not seen in a while. It’s very nice to see.’
The exchange was captured in a clip shared by journalist Aaron Rupar on April 26, 2026.
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