Hours after the incident, during an interview with CBS News on Sunday, Trump initially spoke in a calm manner. However, the situation escalated when the journalist read aloud an excerpt from the accused's so-called 'manifesto.'
The passage read: "I will no longer allow myself to be implicated in the crimes of pedophiles, rapists, and traitors." Upon hearing this statement, Trump became enraged. He directly attacked the journalist, declaring, "You people are terrible human beings." At the same time, he emphatically asserted: "I am not a rapist; I have not raped anyone. Nor am I a pedophile."
In this context, Trump insinuated that he was being unfairly linked to Jeffrey Epstein—an association he categorically denied. He maintained that he had absolutely no connection to these allegations and that he had been completely exonerated.
Speaking about the accused, Trump described him as someone "influenced by extremism," "anti-Christian," and a person of a "severely disturbed mindset." Concurrently, he attributed the rising violence in American politics to the inflammatory rhetoric employed by opposition Democratic leaders.
Trump also offered comments regarding his own reaction during the shooting incident. He stated, "I was not afraid. We live in a strange world." Even when security personnel attempted to whisk him away immediately, he chose to remain at the scene for a brief period to assess the situation.
Notably, this is reported to be the third attempted attack on Trump within the last two years. Although a major catastrophe was averted, this incident has once again raised questions regarding U.S. security and political violence.