Trump on Being Rushed From the Correspondents' Dinner Attack

TL;DR

A gunman charged a security checkpoint during the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and Secret Service flanked President Trump within about 10 seconds and moved him out in roughly 20. Trump, seated with the first lady, initially resisted, telling agents to wait so he could see what was happening before dropping to the floor and being evacuated.

Transcript

60 Minutes overtime. >> Mr. President, thank you for doing this. I'm glad you are safe. I am glad that everyone is safe. How are you doing? >> I'm doing well. It was quite an evening. It was a very uh difficult thing to watch, frankly, but uh doing very well. >> Mr. President, do you know if you were the target of the gunman? I don't know. It sound... Read More

Key Insights

• The incident marks what the interviewer calls the third attempted assassination on Trump's life, following the first in Butler and a second on a Florida golf course, this one occurring at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
• Secret Service response was rapid: agents grabbed the vice president by his coat and lifted him out, the counter assault team came in, and it took about 10 seconds to flank Trump and 20 seconds to get him out.
• Trump says he slowed his own evacuation, repeatedly telling agents 'wait a minute' because he wanted to see what was happening, before agents instructed him and the first lady to drop to the floor.
• The event began normally with entertainer Uri 'the mentalist' Pearlman guessing the name of the pregnant press secretary Caroline's baby, which produced the amazed expressions on the first lady's face just before a loud bang was heard.
• Trump initially hoped the loud noise was a tray of dishes, which he says happens a lot in ballrooms, but it turned out to be a gunshot rather than the normal background noise.
• According to Trump, the gunman was radicalized per a manifesto: a former Christian believer who became anti-Christian, whose brother and sister both complained to police and whose family was very concerned about him.
• Trump argues assassins target consequential presidents who get things done, citing Lincoln, McKinley, and Teddy Roosevelt, and framing his own border, Venezuela, and Iran actions as reasons he may be a target.
• After being moved to a hold room, Trump tried to get organizers to continue the event, saying he did not want a criminal or sick person to disrupt an important night celebrating the First Amendment and freedom of the press.

Questions & Answers

Q: What happened to Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner?

A gunman charged a security checkpoint during the dinner, prompting Secret Service to rush President Trump out. He was seated next to the first lady when a loud bang was heard, which turned out to be a gunshot rather than a tray of dishes. Agents flanked him within about 10 seconds and evacuated him in roughly 20 seconds, first grabbing the vice president by his coat and lifting him out before moving Trump to a hold room.

Q: How did the Secret Service respond during the attack?

The Secret Service response was rapid and coordinated. Agents grabbed the vice president by his coat and lifted him up to bring him out, then the counter assault team came in. According to the interview, it took about 10 seconds for them to flank Trump and 20 seconds to get him out. Agents repeatedly instructed Trump and the first lady to drop to the floor as they moved through an area exposed to the ballroom surroundings before reaching safety.

Q: Why did it take longer to evacuate Trump than expected?

Trump says he slowed his own evacuation. He wanted to see what was happening and was not making it easy for the agents, repeatedly telling them 'wait a minute, let me see.' He acknowledged he probably made them act more slowly. As he started walking out, roughly halfway to safety, agents told him and the first lady to please go down to the floor, and at the final exposed stretch he dropped down before getting up and being taken to a hold room.

Q: How many assassination attempts has Trump faced according to the interview?

The interviewer states this appears to be the third attempted assassination on Trump's life. The first was in Butler, the second was on a golf course in Florida, and this third one occurred at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Trump responded by saying he has done research into the word assassination and believes assassins go after consequential presidents who accomplish major things, citing historical examples of targeted leaders.

Q: What did Trump say about the gunman?

Trump said he read a manifesto indicating the gunman was radicalized. He described him as a former Christian believer who became anti-Christian and had gone through a lot of change. Trump said the man's brother complained about him and reported him to police, and his sister likewise complained, with the family being very concerned. Trump characterized him as probably a pretty sick guy and a man with a lot of problems attacking the country and the Constitution.

Q: Why does Trump think people are trying to assassinate him?

Trump argues that assassins go after consequential presidents who get things done. He cited Abraham Lincoln, McKinley, and Teddy Roosevelt as examples of consequential leaders, noting McKinley made the country rich. Trump pointed to his own record, including turning the country around, actions involving Venezuela and Iran, the B2 bomber attack, and the earlier killing of Salami in his first term, as reasons he believes he may be targeted for being consequential.

Q: What was happening on stage right before the attack?

Entertainer Uri Pearlman, known as the mentalist, was performing and trying to guess the name of the pregnant press secretary Caroline's baby, which he was ultimately able to do. The first lady and Trump's associate Jen were amazed by this, producing big smiles and shocked expressions on their faces. Trump noted that the shock visible on their faces was about the mentalist's act, not the attack, until moments later a big bang was heard.

Q: Did Trump want to continue the dinner after the attack?

Yes. After being taken to a hold room, Trump tried to get organizers to continue the event if possible and wanted to go back in. He said he did not want a criminal or sick person disrupting an important night celebrating the First Amendment and freedom of the press. He noted the dinner had set a record and had experienced problems over the prior nine years, and that once people felt safe there was tremendous bipartisan camaraderie in the room.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• President Trump was rushed out of the White House Correspondents' Dinner after a gunman charged a security checkpoint. He was seated next to the first lady while mentalist Uri Pearlman guessed the press secretary's baby's name, and moments later a loud bang, which he hoped was a dish tray, was actually gunfire.

• Secret Service moved fast: agents lifted the vice president out by his coat, the counter assault team entered, and it took roughly 10 seconds to flank Trump and 20 to evacuate him. Trump admits he slowed them, telling agents to wait so he could see events before being told to drop to the floor.

• Trump describes the gunman as radicalized based on a manifesto and reported to police by his own siblings. He links assassination attempts to consequential presidents like Lincoln and McKinley, wanted to resume the event afterward, and said the room later showed rare bipartisan camaraderie once people felt safe.