US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the man accused of attempting to breach security at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner had been "radicalized," citing a manifesto that outlined hostility toward administration officials.
Speaking in an interview with CBS News, Trump described the suspect's writings as evidence of ideological extremism following the Saturday night incident at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC.
"I read a manifesto. He's radicalized. He was a Christian—a believer—and then he became an anti-Christian...He was probably a pretty sick guy," he said.
The suspect was identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen from the state of California. Investigators say Allen rushed a Secret Service checkpoint and opened fire before being subdued. A law enforcement officer was struck but survived due to a bulletproof vest.
Allen, who had checked into the hotel a day earlier, was found carrying multiple weapons including a shotgun, a handgun and several knives. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the suspect appeared to have planned an attack targeting Trump administration officials.
Trump pushed back after being read excerpts from the manifesto allegedly written by Allen.
During the exchange, he was read a passage in which Allen outlined his motives and wrote: "Administration officials, they are targets...I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes."
- 'I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody. I'm not a pedophile'
Asked for his reaction, Trump slammed the network and rejected the accusations contained in the statement.
"Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would," he said. "Because you're horrible people. Horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody. I'm not a pedophile. You read that crap from some sick person."
Trump continued, admonishing the interviewer for including the excerpt in the discussion.
"You should be ashamed of yourself, reading that — because I'm not any of those things," he said.
Trump was told that Allen had attended a "No Kings" protest in California.
"No Kings, yeah," he replied, adding he is "not a king."
"If I was a king, I wouldn't be dealing with you," he added.
Separately, Trump emphasized the speed and professionalism of law enforcement during the incident.
"I'm a big fan of the people of law enforcement," he said. "He was fast. When you look at it on tape, it's almost like a blur…They were so professional."
The president described the tense moments during the shooting, including the reaction of First Lady Melania Trump.
"Who wouldn't be when you have a situation like that?" he said when asked if she was frightened. "I think she realized ahead of time that that was more of a bullet than it was a tray."
Trump said the first lady handled the situation "great" and called her "very strong," noting they were briefly moved to a secure holding room. He added that he wanted the event to continue despite the disruption.
"I did," he said when asked if he wanted to return. "I hope we're going to do it again. I think it's very important that they do it again."
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Saturday that the suspect is being charged with two counts and will be arraigned Monday in federal district court.
