60 Minutes Host Amplifies Shooter's Baseless Allegations to Trump on TV
CBS's Norah O'Donnell read a would-be assassin's manifesto to President Trump without challenging its false allegations, sparking accusations that mainstream media normalizes the dehumanizing rhetoric that fuels real-world violence.
CBS 60 Minutes host Norah O'Donnell read passages from a would-be assassin's manifesto to President Trump on television Sunday without challenging or condemning its false allegations. Cole Tomas Allen is the 31-year-old gunman who opened fire at the Washington Hilton Saturday during the White House Correspondents' Dinner. The broadcast gave mainstream oxygen to dehumanizing rhetoric, demonstrating how institutional media amplifies poisonous language that can turn online extremists into real-world threats.
O'Donnell presented the 1,052-word document as news content. "The so-called manifesto is a stunning thing to read, Mr. President," she said. "He writes this: 'I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.' What's your reaction?"
Trump recognized the media amplification immediately. "I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would, because you're horrible people," he responded. "I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody. I'm not a pedophile. You read that crap from some sick person?"
The manifesto, sent to family members 10 minutes before the April 25 attack, designated Trump administration officials as targets and included detailed "rules of engagement." Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed Allen was targeting Trump administration officials, "likely including the President." The document, signed "Cole 'coldForce' 'Friendly Federal Assassin' Allen," was obtained in full by The New York Post.
Each allegation in the manifesto maps to legally resolved matters where Trump was exonerated or never credibly accused. The "pedophile" reference points to the Jeffrey Epstein case, in which Trump has never been credibly accused of wrongdoing. The "rapist" reference connects to the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit, where a jury specifically found Trump liable for sexual abuse but not rape. The "traitor" allegation echoes the Mueller investigation, which concluded it could not establish collusion.
The Washington Examiner noted Allen's manifesto "resembled the reams of anti-Trump boilerplate one sees on some left-leaning social media." The language would fit unremarkably on platforms like Bluesky, where users called Trump a "pedophile" before and after the shooting. The manifesto did not emerge from a vacuum but echoed a broader ecosystem of dehumanizing rhetoric.
Allen's radicalization followed a documented pattern of left-wing activism. The Caltech graduate and part-time teacher at C2 Education attended a "No Kings" protest, was part of a leftist activist network called "The Wide Awakes," and donated $25 to ActBlue for Kamala Harris in October 2024. He traveled by Amtrak from Los Angeles to Washington and checked into the Washington Hilton as a guest.
The 31-year-old charged a security checkpoint with a 12-gauge shotgun, .38-caliber pistol, and multiple knives on April 25. A Secret Service agent was shot in a bulletproof vest and survived. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and cabinet members were evacuated unharmed. Allen was subdued shortly after firing at least a few shots.
After Trump called O'Donnell a "disgrace" and told her to be "ashamed of yourself," the CBS host pressed on, attempting to read another passage from the manifesto. She absorbed the rebuke and continued platforming the document. No statement from CBS or O'Donnell regarding the controversy has been obtained.
"You shouldn't be reading that on 60 Minutes," Trump told her. "You're a disgrace. But go ahead. Let's finish the interview." He added, "I got associated with old 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."
The manifesto was platformed to the president of the United States on a widely-watched network news program. That is a victory for any would-be assassin whose grievances receive mainstream amplification. As RedState noted, O'Donnell "wasn't reporting the news, much as she'd like you to believe. She was platforming a deranged assassin's manifesto. She was amplifying his poisonous, dehumanizing rhetoric."
That normalization does not stop at the broadcast. It echoes in living rooms and social feeds where viewers nod along, and one day, someone decides to act on it. Trump has insisted the White House Correspondents' Dinner be rescheduled within 30 days with "even more security," but the deeper threat remains the media's willingness to treat an assassin's manifesto as legitimate news.