'I'm not a rapist. I'm not a pedophile': Donald Trump loses cool as reporter quotes manifesto of suspected shooter

United States President Donald Trump has lashed out at a reporter for quoting the 'manifesto' of suspected gunman Cole Allen, who tried to enter the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on the night of April 25 (local time).

Trump lost his cool during an interview with CBS News' Norah O'Donnell on Sunday when she quoted Allen's manifesto shared with his family members before the attack: "I am no longer willing to permit a paedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes".

This prompted Trump to say, "I was waiting for you to read that, because I knew you would, because you're horrible people."

He said, "Yeah, he did write that, I'm not a rapist … I read the manifesto. You know, he's a sick person. You shouldn't be reading that on 60 Minutes, you're a disgrace, but go ahead, let's finish the interview."

When the interviewer followed up by asking if he believed the shooter was referring specifically to him, Trump said: "I'm not a pedophile...You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with all stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated."

"Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, let's say, [financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey] Epstein or other things. But I said to myself, 'You know, I'll do this interview and they'll probably' — I read the manifesto. You know, he's a sick person. But you should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I'm not any of those things." he said during the interview.

Cole Allen, a 31-year-old California man, armed with multiple guns and knives, allegedly tried to get past a security checkpoint at the dinner on April 25 night while Trump was present at the event. He fired several rounds before being overpowered inside the Washington Hilton hotel, one floor above the basement-level ballroom, which was the venue of the annual dinner.

Trump also referred to the suspected attacker as "radicalised", "anti-Christian" and a "pretty sick guy". "I read a manifesto. He's radicalised. He was a Christian — a believer — and then he became an anti-Christian... He was probably a pretty sick guy."

'I wasn't worried'

Trump described the chaotic moments that ensued after shots were fired at the hotel. "I wasn't worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world," Trump said when asked how worried he was about possible injuries after hearing the gunshots.

The US President said his curiosity to see for himself what was happening probably slowed the Secret Service's efforts to rush him to safety.

"I wanted to see what was happening. I wasn't making it that easy for them. I wanted to see what was going on. And by that time we started to realise maybe it was a bad problem, different kind of problem, a bad one — and different than what would be normal noise from a ballroom," he said.

"I was surrounded by great people. And I probably made them act a little more slowly. I said, 'Wait a minute, wait a minute'," the President recalled, adding that the Secret Service agents had to repeatedly tell him to go down on the floor as they exited the stage.

"I started walking. And they said, 'Please go down, please go down on the floor.' So I went down and the first lady went down also," Trump said.