Trump says he 'wasn’t worried' during correspondents’ dinner shooting, calls suspect a 'sick person'

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Trump said in his 60 Minutes interview on CBS that he wasn't worrying during the commotion in the ballroom that there would be injuries.

"I wasn't worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world," he said.

In an interview that aired Sunday evening, Trump berated 60 Minutes reporter Norah O’Donnell when she asked for his reaction to a section of Allen's so-called manifesto, where the suspect allegedly wrote, "I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes." 

Trump responded, "I was waiting for you to read that, because I knew you would, because you're horrible people." 

Trump said he is not a rapist or a pedophile. 

He said he's read the manifesto and called the suspect a "sick person." 

"You're a disgrace," he said to O'Donnell, but he agreed to continue the interview.

U.S. Law enforcement are reassessing Trump's security arrangements. 

Two former Secret Service agents and three senior U.S. Officials told Reuters that Saturday's event underscored some vulnerabilities, even after two assassination attempts against Trump in 2024 prompted stronger security measures. 

The officials said security personnel ​may need to expand the protective perimeter around the president at large public venues, even if that leads to public inconvenience.

Bill Gage, who served on the Secret Service's Counter Assault Team for six years and is now executive protection director for the SafeHaven Security Group, said the Secret Service "is going to have to find a way to better secure ⁠large hotels that may inconvenience the hotelgoers and the hotel."

Some officials noted the security perimeter at Trump's rallies is often much more expansive than the one established on Saturday.

Don Mihalek, a former senior Secret Service agent who has worked previous correspondents' dinners at the Washington Hilton, said securing the sprawling site has long posed challenges.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche told ABC News's This Week with George Stephanopoulos that Allen will be formally charged in federal court on Monday with assault of a federal officer and use of a firearm during a crime of violence. 

Forty-five years ago, a U.S. President was shot outside the same hotel where Saturday's White House Correspondents’ Association dinner took place.

Ronald Reagan was hit in the chest by a ricocheting bullet fired by John Hinckley Jr. On March 30, 1981, while he was walking to his limousine after giving a speech at the Washington Hilton hotel.

Three others were wounded in the shooting that sent Reagan to hospital for 12 days with a punctured lung and a broken rib.

Hinckley attacked Reagan in a bid to impress actress Jodie Foster, whom he had developed an obsession with. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity on charges of attempting to assassinate the president. 

Hinckley was held in a psychiatric facility until his release in 2016. 

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson has confirmed King Charles will go ahead with his visit to the U.S. Tomorrow.

A spokesperson said earlier that the palace was in talks with U.S. Officials to assess whether the shooting would affect "operational planning" for the upcoming state visit. 

The White House Correspondents' Association, which represents journalists who cover the White House, issued a statement expressing its "deepest gratitude" to the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement and wishing a "full and speedy recovery" to the injured officer. 

"Our dinner exists to celebrate the First Amendment and the hard daily work of the journalists who defend it," the statement reads. "Last night, those journalists showed exactly the kind of calm and courage that work demands, jumping into reporting immediately after the incident unfolded. We are proud of everyone in that room."

The White House Correspondents' dinner is an annual tradition meant to raise funds for scholarships and celebrate the First Amendment. It was founded in 1914 and Calvin Coolidge became the first president to attend in 1924.

Trump broke with tradition by avoiding the dinner during his entire first term in office, but decided to attend this year's event. 

Family members of the suspect alerted police in Connecticut before yesterday's dinner due to concerns with something he had written, Trump said in an interview on Fox News Sunday. 

The president claimed that the suspect had written about targeting U.S. Administration officials. 

Police officers who interviewed Allen's relatives also examined his electronic devices and writings, and believe he meant to target the Trump administration in attendance at the dinner. 

That was in line with statements made by acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who told NBC that it appeared Allen had set out to "target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president."

Blanche said the accused is not being co-operative with law enforcement and is expected to face several charges on Monday. 

Reuters

Trump said ‌in an interview ​on Sunday ​on Fox News' The Sunday Briefing ​that the ⁠suspected ⁠shooter was stopped by ‌law enforcement and didn't come close to ​entering ⁠the ballroom ⁠where ⁠the ⁠event ​was taking place.

Police, federal law enforcement speak and take questions about gunfire at correspondents' dinner

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser appeared alongside the local police chief and federal law enforcement officials, including FBI and Secret Service representatives, to provide details on the shooting incident, the investigation and what's expected following the shooting incident at the gala dinner.

The suspect was armed with "a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives," said Washington interim police chief Jeffrey Carroll at a news conference Saturday night. 

He said Allen is believed to have been a "lone actor," but that it was too soon to determine what his motivation was. 

Carroll said police officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, though he was not hurt in the incident. 

Allen purchased the shotgun eight months ago and a semi-automatic pistol about two years earlier, according to Bloomberg, which cited a law enforcement intelligence profile. 

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