In an interview with CBS on Saturday, Trump discussed the shooting linked to the dinner held the previous night at the Washington Hilton hotel. “I wasn’t worried,” he said, adding, “We live in a crazy world.”
More than 2,500 people attended, including Trump, the first lady, Vice President JD Vance, Cabinet members and journalists. After gunfire was heard, Trump was surrounded by Secret Service agents and evacuated.
Trump said the evacuation was delayed in part because he wanted to understand what was happening. “I wanted to see what was going on,” he said, adding that he told agents to wait and assess the situation. “I didn’t make it easy for the security guys to move,” he said.
He said agents ordered him to get on the floor. “I was almost walking out standing up,” Trump said. “But the security guys said, ‘Get down on the floor,’ so the first lady and I got down on the floor.” He said that instruction signaled the situation was serious. “I’m the president, and I did what they told me,” he said.
Trump said the first lady “was very strong,” but looked shaken in video he later reviewed. “Why wouldn’t she be?” he said. Trump said he had been through similar incidents before, but she had not to the same extent. He said she understood what was happening and followed instructions.
Trump said he did not know whether the suspect had targeted him. He referred to what he described as a statement-like writing the suspect reportedly sent to family, saying it suggested the suspect had fallen into extremist thinking. In an interview with Fox News, Trump called the suspect “a very troubled person.”
He rejected claims of a security failure. Trump said the suspect broke through the security zone at high speed, but said agents responded professionally and subdued the person immediately. “You can find flaws in any security situation,” he said, adding that agents “did a good job” that night.
Asked whether the shooting could change his relationship with the media, Trump kept his distance. He said that after the incident, a White House briefing “looked like the room was completely united,” calling it “beautiful in a way.” But he said, “We disagree on many topics.”
Trump repeated his criticism of the press, saying the media and Democrats are “almost one and the same.” He added that there are “great people” in the media, including fair reporters and others who are friendly to him.
Trump again said the correspondents’ dinner should be held again. “One crazy person shouldn’t be allowed to cancel an event like this,” he said, adding that it should be held again within 30 days. He said it would be fine with more security and a wider perimeter.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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