Trump Calls CBS's Norah O'Donnell Terrible, Defends Staying in Manifesto Interview

President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of CBS News "60 Minutes" host Norah O'Donnell after she questioned him about the manifesto of the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner shooter.

"She's terrible," Trump said on "The Hugh Hewitt Show" Monday. "I mean, she's interviewed me. She's a regular person that gets paid a lot of money. She's just… she's no different. I could get any woman off the street practically, and they would do just as good a job as her. There's nothing special."

Hewitt suggested O'Donnell rehearsed the question to provoke Trump into walking out, as he did in 2020. Trump dismissed the idea.

"The problem with walking off, it's like it becomes the bigger story," Trump said.

During their interview last month, Trump scolded O'Donnell after she read parts of suspect Cole Allen's manifesto, which mentioned concerns over a rapist and a pedophile, and asked for his reaction.

"Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would, because you're horrible people," Trump replied. "Horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody."

"Do you think he was referring to you?" O'Donnell asked.

"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. Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, let's say, Epstein or other things. But I said to myself, 'You know, I'll do this interview, and they'll probably...' I read the manifesto. You know, he's a sick person. But you should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I'm not any of those things," Trump said.

O'Donnell cut in to say she was quoting the alleged gunman's words, but Trump kept calling her "disgraceful."

"You shouldn't be reading that on '60 Minutes.' You're a disgrace. But go ahead. Let's finish the interview," Trump said.

A CBS News spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the suspect faces one count of trying to assassinate the President of the United States. "It is a basic tenet of journalism to ask questions and seek the truth. It was our responsibility to ask the president about the latest evidence and what we had just learned after obtaining the manifesto a few hours before the interview," the statement said.