"I'm not a paedophile": Trump has dismissed the claim made in the shooter's manifesto at the dinner
He revealed this in an interview with CBS News.
During the conversation, the presenter noted that in the so-called manifesto, the shooter may have hinted at opposition. In particular, he wrote: “Administration officials are targets… I am no longer willing to let a paedophile, rapist and traitor stain my hands with his crimes” (this is effectively a reference to his links with Jeffrey Epstein).
When asked what his reaction to this was, Trump said the following:
“I was waiting for you to bring this up, because I knew you would read it, since you’re… terrible people. Yes, he wrote that. I… I’m not a rapist, I haven’t raped anyone,” said Trump.
When asked to clarify whether the president thought the reporter was targeting him, the American leader continued his response:
"I’m not a paedophile. Sorry. I’m not a paedophile. Have you read this nonsense from some sick person? I’ve been linked to all sorts of things that have nothing to do with me. I’ve been completely exonerated. Your friends on the other side of the fence have been implicated, let’s say, in the Epstein case or other such matters. But I said to myself: ‘You know, I’ll give this interview.’ I’ve read the manifesto. You know, he’s a sick man. But you should be ashamed of reading that, because I’m not like that,” said Trump.
When the presenter, out of respect for the president, pointed out that these were the words of a shooter, Trump hinted that the interview was coming to an end.
“You shouldn’t have read that on ‘60 Minutes’. You’re a disgrace. But carry on. Let’s finish the interview,” said the White House chief.
Trump also said he did not know whether he had been the shooter’s target, but noted that at the very least, “it seemed that way” to him.
As a reminder, on 25 April, an unknown individual opened fire with a shotgun near the event venue, forcing the Secret Service to urgently evacuate Donald Trump and senior administration officials
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