‘I'm not a Rapist’: Trump Denies Manifesto Claims, Lashes Out at Reporter

US President Donald Trump turned aggressive during a CBS News interview on Sunday, as he engaged in a heated conversation with anchor Norah O'Donnell after she quoted the alleged manifesto of Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old California man who attempted to breach security at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday night.

Allen, armed with multiple guns and knives, tried to force his way through a security checkpoint at the event.

He fired several rounds before being subdued inside the hotel complex, just metres away from the ballroom where the dinner was being held.

Hours after the shooting incident, Trump sat down with O'Donnell and initially appeared relatively subdued, even seeming to share a sense of camaraderie with the journalists who had hosted him at their annual dinner and experienced the same initial panic.

That tone shifted when O'Donnell read from the suspect's apparent manifesto, which said, "I am no longer willing to permit a paedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes."

"Yeah, he did write that. I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody,” the US President said rebutting the allegations.

When O'Donnell attempted to interject, asking, "Oh, do you think he was referring to you?",

Trump continued, declaring, "I'm not a pedophile." He also strongly rejected other allegations referenced in the manifesto, which broadly accused "administration officials" of serious crimes.

How Did Melania Trump React as Gunfire Erupted at the Correspondents' Dinner?

Trump also offered a personal account of the chaotic moments as gunfire erupted at the venue, describing how First Lady Melania Trump had quickly grasped the gravity of the situation.

"I wasn't worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world... Right around that point... I saw the scene... and she looked very upset about what just took place," he told CBS.

He recalled the moment the First Lady understood that the sounds they were hearing were not routine noise from the ballroom.

"By that time I think she realised ahead of time that that was more of a bullet than it was a tray," Trump said.

The President also revealed that he had initially been reluctant to be moved by his security detail.

"It was a little bit me. I wanted to see what was happening... I wasn't making it that easy for them," he said, adding that he had told his agents, "Wait a minute... lemme see," before recognising the seriousness of the threat.

He acknowledged that the situation quickly escalated into "a bad problem, a different kind of problem."

(With inputs from ANI)