United States President Donald Trump has denied fleeing from the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, insisting he wanted to stay and see what was happening.
In a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday, Trump told Norah O’Donnell that he did not make it easy on Secret Service agents trying to protect him during the April 25 incident at the Washington Hilton.
“I didn’t run. I wanted to see what was going on. I wanted a front row seat,” Trump said.
The president praised First Lady Melania Trump for being “strong” and “smart” during her first experience with a shooting, noting she was not present at the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, a few years ago.
Trump appeared to stumble as he walked off the stage, but he said it was actually the Secret Service telling him to get down. In contrast, Vice President J.D. Vance was whisked away quickly.
The president said the shooter, identified by federal authorities as Cole Allen, ran past metal detectors “in a blur” before opening fire and being taken down by law enforcement. Trump joked that an NFL team should sign Allen for his speed.
Trump praised the Secret Service for doing a great job neutralizing the shooter before anyone was seriously injured and reaffirmed his plan to reschedule the correspondents’ dinner within the next 30 days. He also reacted to the shooter’s alleged manifesto and took some shots at his interviewer.
