President Trump says, “I’m not a pedophile” after D.C. shooter’s comments
President Donald Trump sat down with Norah O’Donnell for a “60 Minutes” interview after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
- Many social media users have claimed (without evidence) that the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was staged.
- Speaking to CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, who was also at the dinner, President Trump called the conspiracy “a tough sell.”
President Donald Trump was asked about a conspiracy that the shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was staged during an April 26 “60 Minutes” interview.
No evidence has yet been made public that the incident was staged or that the alleged shooter, 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, acted for any reason other than his own. Police are still compiling information about the incident, but Allen has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump.
Countless social media users have raised questions and false accusations about whether the shooting was staged. It wouldn’t be the first time. Many conspiracies surrounding the July 2024 assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania remain active.
Trump was interviewed by CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell about the incident, where she asked him about these plots. This is what he had to say.
Norah O’Donnell asks Trump about conspiracy
O’Donnell asked Trump about conspiracy theories about whether the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was staged or not, and said he was hesitant to ask the question.
President Trump said of conspiracy theorists, “I think they’re more of a disease than a scammer, but there’s a lot of fraud involved as well.”
“I haven’t heard that last night didn’t happen. Why, it usually takes a little longer. Usually it takes about two or three months before they start saying that.”
Ms. O’Donnell wondered where it came from and commented on the fact that she was also at the dinner party where gunshots could be heard and attendees scrambled under the table.
“It’s going to be difficult. It’s going to be a difficult sell,” President Trump said.
Following the Butler conspiracy, there is also a conspiracy regarding the WHCA dinner
On July 13, 2024, Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when a gunman on a rooftop near the rally fired multiple shots at the then-presidential candidate.
Trump was shot just before he ducked behind the podium as Secret Service agents swarmed him and removed him from the stage. But nothing could push him out of public view, and in what would become the defining photograph of his campaign, he pumped his fist in the air, blood streaking down his face.
After the WHCA dinner, some drew comparisons to Butler and claimed, without evidence, that this was another orchestrated attempt on President Trump’s life.
But evidence suggests Trump was shot in the ear at a campaign rally. The gunman and one spectator at the rally were killed, and two others were seriously injured.
Although the Butler conspiracy has been around since the beginning of the incident, the theory received new attention after it was picked up by a prominent MAGA celebrity, CNN and Wired reported.
Contributed by Michael Collins, Josh Meyer, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), thread, blue sky and TikTok.
