Trump Denies Allegations After 60 Minutes Confronts Him With Shooter's Manifesto

President Donald Trump became visibly infuriated after CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell read excerpts from the alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman’s manifesto during a 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, April 26, 2026.

O’Donnell quoted the manifesto directly, stating, “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” She then asked Trump, “What’s your reaction to that?”

TRUMP: “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—”

O’Donnell attempted to interject, but Trump continued his tirade, denying the allegations and attacking the credibility of the manifesto.

When O’Donnell asked, “Do you think he was referring to you?” Trump responded:

TRUMP: “Excuse me, excuse me. I’m not a pedophile. You read that crap from some sick person. Uh, I got associated with stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated. Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, let’s say, Epstein or other things.”

Trump further stated:

TRUMP: “But I said to myself, ‘You know, I’ll do this interview, and they’ll probably,’—I read the manifesto—you know he’s a sick person. You should be ashamed of yourself, reading that, because I’m not any of those things, and I was never—excuse me, excuse me.”

He then accused O’Donnell of disrespecting the interview by reading the manifesto, calling her actions a “disgrace.”

The words “pedophile” and “rapist” appeared to trigger Trump, prompting him to deny the allegations vehemently. The manifesto referenced his past connections to Jeffrey Epstein and a 2023 New York judge’s ruling that legally labeled him a rapist. Despite the gravity of an assassination attempt, Trump’s primary focus shifted to defending himself against these accusations.