Trump Reacts to Manifesto by White House Shooting Suspect

(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump declared Sunday that the man accused of attempting to breach security at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner had been ideologically radicalized, pointing to a written manifesto as evidence of deep-seated extremism following Saturday night's violent incident at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

In a televised interview with a news agency, Trump detailed what investigators uncovered about the suspect's writings, saying: "I read a manifesto. He's radicalized. He was a Christian—a believer—and then he became an anti-Christian...He was probably a pretty sick guy."

The accused, identified as Cole Allen, 31, of California, allegedly rushed a Secret Service checkpoint before discharging a weapon and being overpowered by officers. A law enforcement agent was struck but survived due to a bulletproof vest. Allen, who had checked into the hotel the previous day, was found in possession of a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche indicated the suspect appeared to have been plotting a targeted strike against Trump administration officials.

'I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody. I'm not a pedophile'

The interview grew combative when Trump was read a passage from the manifesto allegedly authored by Allen, in which the suspect had written: "Administration officials, they are targets...I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes."

Trump erupted upon hearing the excerpt, turning his fire squarely on the network. "Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would," he said. "Because you're horrible people. Horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody. I'm not a pedophile. You read that crap from some sick person."

The president pressed further, directly rebuking the interviewer for raising the passage: "You should be ashamed of yourself, reading that — because I'm not any of those things."

When informed that Allen had attended a "No Kings" protest in California, Trump acknowledged the detail dismissively. "No Kings, yeah," he replied, before adding: "If I was a king, I wouldn't be dealing with you."

Shifting tone, Trump praised law enforcement's swift handling of the threat, saying: "I'm a big fan of the people of law enforcement. He was fast. When you look at it on tape, it's almost like a blur…They were so professional."

The president also addressed the harrowing moments experienced by First Lady Melania Trump during the shooting. When asked whether she had been frightened, he replied: "Who wouldn't be when you have a situation like that?" adding that "I think she realized ahead of time that that was more of a bullet than it was a tray." He described the First Lady as having handled the ordeal "great" and called her "very strong," confirming the couple had been briefly moved to a secure holding room.

Despite the disruption, Trump expressed a clear desire to see the prestigious annual event reinstated. "I did," he said when asked whether he had wanted to return. "I hope we're going to do it again. I think it's very important that they do it again."

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro confirmed Saturday that Allen faces two criminal counts and is set to be arraigned Monday in federal district court.

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