What Norah O’Donnell said during the Trump interview after she quoted the shooter’s “manifesto”
Trump gave an interview to 60 Minutes in which Norah O’Donnell asked him to comment on the shooter’s written letter, the so-called “manifesto.” This article is typical of the coverage of the incident:
O’Donnell on Sunday began reading a portion of the reported manifesto to Trump, saying, “The so-called manifesto is a stunning thing to read, Mr. President. He appears to reference a motive in it. He writes this quote, ‘Administration officials, they are targets.’ And he also wrote this, ‘I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.’”
“Yeah, he did write that. I’m — I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody,” 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,” he said, later calling the CBS News senior correspondent “disgraceful.”
“You know, he’s a sick person,” Trump continued. “But you should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I’m not any of those things.”
Critics of O’Donnell on the right agree with Trump that it was a kind of “Have you stopped beating your wife?” question that amplified the quote on a major TV program, without O’Donnell remarking on the obvious falsity of the allegations – probably because the media and Democrats have fostered such allegations. “Pedophile” is connected to the constant Epstein misrepresentations, “rapist” is a misreading of the court case won by E. Jean Carroll, and “traitor” could apply to anything from fake Russiagate to fake Nazi.
So yes, O’Donnell’s question was both inappropriate and designed to harm Trump. But I’m surprised that no articles and no videos I’ve seen discussing the exchange mentioned her truly pernicious followup question, which I bring you here:
Did you catch the statement of O’Donnell’s that has commonly been left out, the one I’m referring to as her followup question?: “Oh, you think, you think he was referring to you?” coupled with a mildly incredulous look? That sentence in particular reveals the duplicitous, disingenuous nature of O’Donnell’s approach. She knows full well that Trump would interpret the manifesto quote as referring to him because of course it does (for one thing, it levels charges that have become common against him, and for another the charges are against a single person and not a group). And yet she pretends the subject of the quote is in doubt and she uses Trump’s understandable interpretation – really, there is no other one possible – to imply some sort of consciousness of guilt on Trump’s part.
That’s what tells me what a nasty piece of work O’Donnell is, even more than the “pedophile, etc.” quote itself. And she sets it up by starting with another manifesto quote, “Administration officials, they are targets.” This is an attempt to establish that the shooter was also targeting the entire group, so that her later “oh, you think he was referring to you?” question might give her pose of feigned doubt some supposed credibility.
The entire thing was a setup, IMHO. O’Donnell almost certainly knew that reading the quotes might get a rise out of Trump – as well it should – and would cause the interview to be discussed and watched more widely.
NOTE: If you watch the whole clip, instead of just the part I cued up, you’ll see how the left is spinning it.
I caught it too, Neo. Political assassination right after a real attempt. These people are evil.
All O’Donnell did was reveal the moral rot in her soul.
Trump continually gives these cretins a platform to play to their deranged audience. Just stop legitimizing them for crying out loud. This was totally forseeable.
she have “crazy eyes”; hate will do that ….
I find it refreshing that Trump calmly dismisses the quote, then publicly scolds O’Donnell as a disgrace.
We are past the point of serious debate with these people. They have no interest in truth. Their whole aim is gotcha or outright character assassination.
Hold still while we beat you up.
O’Donnell will do fine with her side.
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‘60 Minutes’ Anchor Corners Trump After He Lashes Out at Her
DIGGING HIS OWN HOLE
Norah O’Donnell turned the tables after Donald Trump lashed out at her for bringing up the manifesto of the WHCA dinner gunman.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/60-minutes-anchor-norah-odonnell-corners-trump-after-he-lashes-out-at-her-for-noting-gunmans-manifesto/
Didn’t Cole Allen make it clear that he, Cole Allen, was referring to Trump? What matters in the criminal charges is not what Trump thinks. It matters what Cole Allen thought. Trump’s answer is accurate to denote those ideas are Cole Allen’s and not Trump’s.
Ah the baselisk what would we do without them (recycle the tripe that other leftists had spouted out) honestly i would have wished that i hadnt seen that
Theres a continuum from rather to couric to o’donnell, what exactly is bari weiss to fix this, wretched hive of villainy that the tiffany network has become
I guess the circle has to continue until they succeed
First of all, this is an excellent case study of How Political Hatred Works: pronounce the defamatory statements AS FACT, hiding behind the “just reading the alleged manifesto of the alleged shooter” mask that was perfected in the “Russia Russia” hoax cycles; make obvious innuendoes, while feigning the “unbiased journalist here” persona; move along without allowing any rebuttal, because she knows the three slanders are not true, or should; and then close down shop.
However, Trump did get in one zinger, which I wish he would do more often, because the “literally Hitler!” slander should have been nipped in the first few minutes of its existence 10 years ago.
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2026/04/27/trump-remarks-to-norah-odonnell-about-no-kings-n2201730
The sustained and unvarying response at all times should be:
“If Trump were literally Hitler, you would be literally dead. End of discussion.”
bill fello (6:23 pm) said: “Trump continually gives these cretins a platform to play to their deranged audience. Just stop legitimizing them for crying out loud.”
At one time, Trump entering the cretins’ platform may have had the effect, for some few, of exposing for all to see what these cretins in fact are. At one time.
At this late date, I have the impression that that exposing effect is now very close to zero. The cretin people adhere to the cretin side, the Trumpkins adhere to the Trump side, and that’s that.
The battle lines are drawn. GOD, I hope it doesn’t devolve into out-and-out armed battle, but with each passing day, my hope candle is flickering with less and less strength to maintain light. It’s all so very discouraging.