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Bill O'Reilly sharply criticized CBS's 60 Minutes and anchor Norah O'Donnell for reading excerpts from the alleged White House Correspondents' Dinner gunman's manifesto during her Sunday, interview with President Donald Trump, calling it irresponsible journalism that amplified a violent criminal's deranged thoughts instead of focusing on the security failure or facts of the attack.
O'Reilly argued in his No Spin News breakdown of the interview that O'Donnell's choice to quote the suspect's manifesto—described by Trump as the writings of a "sick person"—crossed an ethical line by giving the would-be assassin a national platform. He portrayed it as classic liberal media bias: sensational and confrontational rather than responsible, forcing the president into a defensive reaction over inflammatory, unsubstantiated claims instead of probing deeper issues like Secret Service protocols or the gunman's background.
In the broadcast segment, O'Donnell directly read lines from the manifesto of suspect Cole Thomas Allen, who allegedly charged a security checkpoint at the Saturday dinner event and wrote that he was "no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes."
Trump, who had been relatively composed, erupted, calling O'Donnell "disgraceful" and "horrible people" for amplifying the document. He insisted he was "not any of those things" and accused the network of knowing it would provoke him.
🚨 NEW: Bill O'Reilly SLAMS Norah O'Donnell: She “had NO cause to read the ramblings of a loon. NONE!”
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) April 28, 2026
“She tried to humiliate the President. He was absolutely 100% correct in saying 'You should be ashamed of yourself reading that.'” pic.twitter.com/zBMwhJoKxu
O'Reilly's take aligned with his longstanding view of 60 Minutes as predictably left-leaning and prone to "gotcha" tactics. He used the moment to illustrate how mainstream outlets prioritize drama over substance, especially when it involves high-profile conservatives, and contrasted it with what he sees as proper reporting that does not dignify killers' manifestos.
The incident itself involved Allen, who faces federal charges after the foiled attempt at the high-profile Washington dinner attended by Trump and other officials. Secret Service stopped him before any shots reached the ballroom, though O'Reilly himself was present and later reported hearing an "echo of gunfire."
Broader conservative commentators echoed O'Reilly's outrage, with some calling for O'Donnell's firing for turning a would-be killer into the story's focus.
O'Reilly framed the episode as further evidence of eroding journalistic standards at legacy networks like CBS, urging viewers to seek "no spin" alternatives for straight news.