President Donald Trump has claimed that Democrats helped radicalize the gunman who opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, while an MS NOW anchor blamed him for spreading 'violent rhetoric.' In an interview with CBS News' Norah O'Donnell, Trump discussed the moment suspect Cole Tomas Allen, 31, started firing at the Washington Hilton, where over 2,000 journalists and politicians had gathered for the annual gala.
Manifesto and Alleged Motives
Investigators discovered a manifesto allegedly written by Allen before the shooting, detailing his desire to target members of Trump's Cabinet, along with online posts containing anti-Trump rhetoric. Allen had also attended a 'No Kings' protest, which Trump claimed was funded by Democrats.
'I see these "No Kings," which were funded just like the Southern Law was funded - you saw the Southern Law was financing the KKK and lots of other radical terrible groups and then they go out and say, "Oh we've got to go out and stop the KKK," and yet they give them hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars,' Trump told O'Donnell, referencing a Department of Justice indictment against the civil rights group. He added, 'It's a total scam, run by the Democrats. They're the ones that are funding it.'
Trump also cited the Internet as having 'radicalized some people' and 'made some people mentally sick,' arguing that the far-left is spreading violent rhetoric. 'I do think that the hate speech of the Democrats much more so is very dangerous. I really think it's very dangerous for the country,' he said.
MS NOW Anchor's Response
On MS NOW, Antonia Hylton took a different stance, suggesting that Trump 'certainly contributed' to the violent political rhetoric. She began her comments on 'The Weekend: Primetime' by noting it was nice that the president was 'very reflective' following the shooting. MS NOW then played a clip of Trump telling Fox News it was a 'very sad evening in many ways' but also a moment of unity.
Yet Hylton argued his remarks rang hollow given his past statements. 'I know there are some voters, some Americans, who I think would have liked to hear more from the president. Who, you know, just weeks ago posted about the possible extermination of an entire civilization online, who has called his political foes "vermin, lunatics, terrorists, the enemy within,"' she said, referring to Trump's rhetoric on the war in Iran. 'He has certainly contributed at a minimum, contributed to the political rhetoric. So you know while it's nice to hear this sort of sense of unity, I know that there are people who feel these remarks have fallen short.'
Trump Denies Allegations
Trump hit out at O'Donnell after she read inciting lines from Allen's alleged manifesto, which targeted Trump over his ties with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The manifesto stated Allen was 'no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.' Trump denied ever raping anyone, saying, '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. Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, let's say, Epstein or other things.'
Trump has never been charged with a crime related to Epstein, whom he said he kicked out of Mar-a-Lago decades ago. Instead, Trump suggested he was targeted because he is 'influential.' He compared himself to former Presidents Abraham Lincoln and William McKinley, both assassinated after doing 'things that work out very well for our country.'
The Shooting Incident
Allen was apprehended after dashing past a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton. He had been staying at the hotel before the gala, and his family said he regularly visited a shooting range. Armed with two guns and knives, he sprinted past security and attempted to reach the ballroom where the president and his cabinet were gathered.
Trump described the shooter as a 'blur' in surveillance footage, joking that the 'NFL should sign him up.' He praised law enforcement for their professional response. In the ballroom, Trump said he may have slowed the Secret Service's response as he wanted to see what was happening. First Lady Melania Trump was among the first to realize the sounds were bullets, appearing shocked in footage.
Secret Service agents led the president and First Lady out of the ballroom, with Trump recalling being told to 'please go down to the floor.' He said he had become used to such situations, having faced previous assassination attempts in Butler, Pennsylvania, and at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Despite the chaos, Trump expressed a desire to reschedule the annual Correspondents' Dinner, saying he did not want a 'crazy person' to succeed in canceling it. Next time, he said, it would include 'bigger security' and 'more perimeter security.'
