Washington: US President Donald Trump said he wanted to see what was happening when Secret Service agents hustled him out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner Saturday night after a gunman opened fire at the hotel.
In an interview with CBS ’60 Minutes’, Trump described the chaotic moments that ensued after shots were fired at the Washington Hilton hotel, one floor above the basement-level ballroom, which was the venue of the annual dinner.
“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.
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“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.
The interview witnessed some heated moments as Trump was asked about certain references made to him by the suspect in a manifesto shared with his family members before the attack.
“I was waiting for you to read that, because I knew you would, because you’re horrible people,” Trump 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,” the president said.
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.”
The President urged the White House Correspondents’ Association to reschedule the event within the next 30 days.
“I don’t want to see it be cancelled. I think it’s really bad for a crazy person to be able to cancel something like this,” Trump said, adding: “It’s not that I want to go. I’m very busy. I don’t need that.”
