He has downplayed the shooting that forced him and several members of his cabinet to be evacuated during the correspondents’ dinner held in Washington. Far from appearing alarmed, the president said in an interview that he did not feel afraid at any time: “I wasn’t worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world.”
The statements, made on the CBS program 60 Minutes, come just hours after one of the most tense security episodes experienced in this type of event. Trump explained that, at first, He didn’t even correctly interpret where the gala was being held.
“I thought it was a layup… until we saw it was something else”
The president said that at the beginning of the chaos he believed that the noise that caused the evacuation was due to a minor accident. “At first I thought a tray had fallen”he stated, before acknowledging that the situation changed quickly when
“I wanted to see what was happening. And by then, we started to realize that maybe it was a bad problem, a different problem,” he explained, referring to the moment they realized it was an armed incident.
Melania’s reaction: “She realized it before I did”
Trump also detailed how the first lady experienced the situation, who was next to him at the presidential table when the shots began and the attendees took refuge under the tables.
“People don’t like it to be said that they were scared, but certainly, who wouldn’t be in a situation like that?”acknowledged the president, before adding that his wife reacted quickly: “I think she realized beforehand that this was more of a bullet than a tray.”
According to Trump, the first lady “She seemed very upset by what had just happened,” although he highlighted her fortitude: “She is a very strong and intelligent woman. She handled it very well.”
Tension in the interview: “You read that garbage about a sick person”
The most uncomfortable moment of the interview came when journalist Norah O’Donnell read fragments of the attacker’s manifesto, which contained serious accusations against the president himself.
“I was waiting for you to read that, because I knew you would. Because they are horrible people.”Trump responded, visibly annoyed. The president flatly rejected the accusations: “I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anyone. I’m not a pedophile. You read that garbage from a sick person.”
Furthermore, he insisted that he was “totally exonerated” of any relationship with the events mentioned in that text.
“The press and the Democrats are almost the same”
Asked if this incident could soften his relationship with the media, Trump made it clear that there will be no changes. “We don’t agree on many issues,” he stated, before launching a new criticism: “It’s not so much the press. It’s the press plus the Democrats, because they are almost the same thing.”
The president once again insisted on his hard line on issues such as security and crime, distancing himself from what he considers a more lax stance on the part of the media.
He wants to repeat the dinner… and promises “more security”
Despite the seriousness of what happened, Trump surprised by announcing that his intention is to hold the correspondents’ dinner again in just a month. “We want to repeat it in 30 days,” he assured, making it clear that the event will go ahead.
Of course, the president promised to reinforce protection measures after what happened: the next meeting will feature , in an attempt to dispel the doubts generated by the device deployed on this occasion.
Trump’s message is clear: neither the shooting nor the subsequent controversy are going to change his agenda. Although, given what happened, The question now is whether it will be enough to promise more security or whether there will be real changes in the way these types of events are managed.
