Hours before he stepped into a room full of reporters and Washington insiders on April 25, President Donald Trump told his wife, Melania, he was not sure how the media would treat him at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
In the full transcript from this week’s CBS 60 Minutes interview, Trump opened up about his pre-dinner chat with Melania as they geared up for the swanky bash at the Washington Hilton. He told her the media might give him a hard time.
“I told my wife, they might give me a hard time,” Trump recalled to correspondent Norah O’Donnell. He admitted he had doubts about the reception waiting for him inside the ballroom.
Trump was making his first appearance at the dinner as a sitting president in his second term. The dinner’s this big annual bash where journalists, politicians, and celebs mix it up for a night of roasts, speeches, and laughs.
Trump and his fallout with a section of the media
Trump’s beef with the media goes way back; he’s spent years blasting reporters as peddlers of “fake news” and straight-up calling them “the enemy of the people.
Despite his concerns, Trump said the as soon as he entered the room, he received very warm applause from the media attendees. He sounded pleased and a bit surprised as he described it in the interview.
However, the warm welcome did not last long after gunshots rang out near a security checkpoint outside the main ballroom later that evening.
A 31-year-old man from California, Cole Tomas Allen, tried to rush the area while armed with a shotgun and other weapons.
Secret Service agents quickly swung into action and stopped the man before he could reach the room. In the process, one officer was hit by a bullet and was saved by a protective vest and is expected to recover.
Allen was arrested on the spot and later charged with trying to assassinate Trump administration officials.
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No guests inside the ballroom were injured, but the sudden chaos forced Trump, Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other top officials to be rushed out for safety.
In the 60 Minutes interview, Trump said he was not worried during those frightening moments.
The contrast between Trump’s private nerves about facing the press and the real security threat that occurred later has drawn attention.
Trump’s always acted as if criticism from the press rolls right off his back. But in that interview, he admitted he had a bit of nerves heading into the dinner, and even chatted about it with Melania beforehand.
The White House Correspondents’ Association condemned the shooting and said the event celebrates the role of a free press.
Organizers said they were grateful for the swift work by law enforcement that prevented worse harm.
The dinner traditionally features a president poking fun at himself and the press. This year, the jokes were cut short by the security scare.
Trump has used the unfortunate incident to renew his complaints about media coverage.
During the 60 Minutes sit-down, he called some reporters “horrible people” when questioned about the suspect’s writings. The interview grew testy at times.
Trump told O’Donnell he had been unsure what kind of reaction he would get from the journalists gathered there.
Many who were in the room have covered his campaigns and presidency with tough questions and critical stories.
He said he prepared Melania for the possibility of a cold or even a hostile reception.
Instead, the initial applause caught him off guard in a positive way.
Meanwhile, security at the event has now come under fresh review. Lawmakers from both parties have called for tighter checks at large political gatherings after the incident.
