'The hate speech of the Democrats is dangerous': Trump reveals details of assassination attempt, lashes out at political climate

President Donald Trump gave an interview to "60 Minutes" a day after the assassination attempt on Saturday night, in the middle of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, when 38-year-old Cole Thomas Allen opened fire near the main metal detector checkpoint area in order to gain access to where the Republican leader was and assassinate him. Although a bullet hit a Secret Service agent, his injuries were not serious and the shooter was restrained.

When asked how concerned he was about what was happening and the fact that his life was in danger, Trump assured that "I wasn't worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world." Regarding the moment he was escorted out of the venue, journalist Norah O'Donnell said, "It took them 10 seconds to surround you, Mr. President, and then 20 seconds to get you out. It looked chaotic," to which Trump responded, "It was a little bit me—I wanted to see what was happening, and I wasn't making it that easy for them...I was surrounded by great people, and I probably made them act a little bit more slowly."

Secret Service agents, however, repeatedly told the president and first lady, Melania Trump, to get on the ground, Trump said. "I started walking. And they said, ‘Please go down, please go down on the floor.’ So I went down and the first lady went down also."

When speaking about the attacker, the president stated, "I read a manifesto. He's radicalized. He was a Christian—a believer—and then he became an anti-Christian ... he was probably a pretty sick guy." Likewise, Trump and O'Donnell talked about violence in the United States, on which the Republican leader commented that "It's always been there... I do think that the hate speech of the Democrats—much more so—is very dangerous. I really think it's very dangerous for the country."

When asked if the first lady was frightened during the incident, the president explained, "Who wouldn't be when you have a situation like that? I think she realized ahead of time that that was more of a bullet than it was a tray. I've been through this before a couple of times, and the First Lady has not to this extent. She handled it great. She's very strong... We went to a hold room for a while, and I tried to get them to continue the event if possible."