“I wasn’t worried. I know life. We live in a crazy world.” With these words Donald Trump talks about the attack that occurred during the correspondents’ dinner in Washington. Trump looked back on those excited moments in an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes.” He explained that he had initially underestimated what was happening, thinking that the noise coming from the room was due to a banal accident: “I thought a tray had fallen. But then he admitted that he had slowed down the officers’ action: “I wanted to see what was happening and I wasn’t making things easy for them.” Only after understanding the gravity of the situation did he adapt to the security instructions.
President Trump joins 60 Minutes for his first interview since the assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Watch the key moments in under two minutes. pic.twitter.com/eRsCoc6up0
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 27, 2026
The reconstruction
Trump described the evacuation as “rapid but chaotic”, while underlining the professionalism of the agents: “As soon as they saw him, they pulled out their weapons and neutralized him immediately.”
Speaking about the attacker, he called him “a sick person”. Referring to the manifesto he supposedly wrote, the tycoon said he had read it: “He became radicalized. He was a Christian believer, then he became anti-Christian and had many changes. From what he wrote, he was going through a difficult period.”
“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service.” – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/N3UTveVNFM
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 26, 2026
Trump then linked the episode to the political climate and anti-government protests, citing the “No Kings” movement: “The reason why people like that exist is because there are movements like ‘No Kings’. I’m not a king. If I were, I wouldn’t be here talking to you.”
The clash
The American president also attacked journalist Norah O’Donnell, accused of having read a passage from the manifesto containing accusations against him on the broadcast. “I was waiting for him to read it, because I knew he would: you are terrible people.” Trump then rejected the accusations contained in the text: “I am not a pedophile. I did not rape anyone. I have been completely exonerated.” The attacker “is a sick person” but she “should be ashamed to read these things. She shouldn’t read them on ’60 Minutes’. It’s a shame. But go ahead, let’s finish the interview.”
.@POTUS SLAMS @60Minutes: “You should be ashamed of yourself, reading that — because I’m not any of those things.” pic.twitter.com/QWxqoUFUaF
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 26, 2026
“Let’s do the event again”
Trump flaunted confidence. He defended the choice to participate in the correspondents’ dinner and invited the event to be repeated within 30 days, with strengthened security measures: “I don’t want a crazy person to be able to cancel something like that.”