Following an attempted attack during the traditional White House Correspondents’ Dinner held at a Washington D.C. hotel, former President Donald Trump issued a statement regarding the incident. Speaking on the program “60 Minutes” on CBS on Sunday evening (local time), Trump said he was not concerned, adding, “I know life; we live in a crazy world”. He also recounted the immediate aftermath, noting that he made it difficult for security personnel. When an agent instructed him to get on the floor following the shots, he initially stood up, stating, “I wanted to see what was going on, and I didn’t want to make it too easy for him”.
During the interview, Trump was confronted with excerpts from the attacker’s alleged “manifesto”. The text, which the attacker reportedly sent to people close to him, included the declaration: “I am no longer willing to let a pedophile, a rapist, and a traitor allow my hands to be stained with their crimes”. Trump reacted to this with intense anger, stating, “Well, I waited for you to read this because I knew you would, because you are terrible people”. He vehemently denied being a pedophile or having committed any assault, insisting he was “completely cleared” of any wrongdoing. He concluded by telling the host, “You shouldn’t read this on 60 Minutes. You are a disgrace. But please. Let’s end the interview”.
Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama also weighed in, emphasizing that violence has no place in democracy. He called the attack “a sobering reminder of the courage and willingness to sacrifice that U.S. Secret Service agents show every day”. Obama expressed relief that the injured agent was recovering well.
The incident itself occurred on Saturday evening when an armed man attempted to storm the event. A brief exchange of gunfire took place in a controlled area just before Trump was scheduled to speak. Although a Secret Service agent was struck by his protective gear, he was reportedly mostly unharmed, and the assailant was arrested. Authorities identified the perpetrator as a 31-year-old teacher from Los Angeles who reportedly booked a room at the attack site in the hotel while traveling by train to Washington.