President Donald Trump erupted at CBS News correspondent Norah O'Donnell during a 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, branding her a 'disgrace' after she read passages from the alleged manifesto of the gunman who stormed Saturday's White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner, accusing the reporter of amplifying the writings of a 'sick person' on national television.
The outburst came as O'Donnell quoted writings attributed to 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, a former teacher from Torrance, California, in which he described his targets as a 'pedophile, rapist, and traitor.' Trump's reply, 'I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody,' has thrust a single question into the centre of an already raw national debate, whether mainstream broadcasters should air the language of political attackers at all.
Trump Calls O'Donnell 'Disgraceful' Live on Air
According to the CBS News transcript of the interview, taped Sunday afternoon at the White House, O'Donnell read the suspect's stated motive aloud and asked the president for his reaction. He shot back, 'Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you're horrible people. Horrible people.'
He continued, '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.' When O'Donnell pressed him on whether he believed the gunman was referring to him, Trump told her she should be 'ashamed' and twice called her 'disgraceful' on air.
A Pattern Press Freedom Groups Have Flagged
The Society of Professional Journalists previously described Trump's verbal attacks on female reporters as 'an unmistakable pattern of hostility, often directed at women, that undermines the essential role of a free and independent press.' The International Women's Media Foundation logged at least five such incidents within a three-week stretch last year, listing CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Bloomberg's Catherine Lucey, CBS's Nancy Cordes, and ABC's Rachel Scott and Mary Bruce as targets.
During a highly contentious period in November and December 2025, Trump targeted several prominent female reporters in rapid succession:
- Kaitlan Collins (CNN): Attacked as 'stupid and nasty' (6 December 2025).
- Catherine Lucey (Bloomberg): Told 'quiet, piggy' on Air Force One (14 November 2025).
- Mary Bruce (ABC): Labeled a 'terrible reporter' and 'insubordinate' in the Oval Office (18 November 2025).
- Nancy Cordes (CBS): Asked 'Are you stupid?' during a press briefing (27 November 2025).
- Rachel Scott (ABC): Branded the 'most obnoxious reporter in the whole place' (8 December 2025).
A 2023 New York civil jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s, a verdict the president has continued to dispute publicly.
Suspect Cased Washington Hilton Since Friday
Beyond the rape allegations, O'Donnell's questions pointed to a national security threat that critics say warrants public scrutiny regardless of the political fallout. Citing the suspect's writings, she noted Allen had checked into the Washington Hilton on Friday and described what he saw as a collapse in protection.
CBS News reported Allen's email to family read, 'No damn security. Not in transport. Not in the hotel. Not in the event.' Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Face the Nation that Allen, armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and knives, was apprehended after charging through magnetometers. A Secret Service officer struck by gunfire was saved by a bulletproof vest, officials confirmed.
Trump Reveals He Slowed His Own Evacuation
In the same 60 Minutes interview, Trump said he had deliberately resisted Secret Service efforts to move him quickly out of the ballroom. 'I wanted to see what was happening, and I wasn't making it that easy for them,' he said, a disclosure that has reignited questions about presidential protection protocols.
Trump also called for the cancelled WHCA dinner to be rescheduled within 30 days, saying organisers should not allow 'a crazy person' to shut the event down. Allen is expected to face federal charges at his arraignment today in Washington, DC, with US Attorney Jeanine Pirro indicating further counts could follow.
The exchange exposes a widening fault line in how Americans consume political violence, as a security failure demanding accountability or as a media controversy over the airing of an attacker's voice. Press freedom advocates argue the two cannot be cleanly separated.
