US President Donald Trump described the suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as a deeply hateful individual driven by anti-Christian sentiment, telling Fox News the attacker’s manifesto revealed a person consumed by religious hatred.
“He had a lot of hatred in his heart for quite a while,” Trump said Sunday, describing the motive as “strongly anti-Christian.” He said the suspect’s family was aware of his difficulties and suggested they “probably” should have reported him “a little bit more strongly.”
“I hated a guy like this, sick, bad person. I hated somebody like that, changing the course of our country,” he said.
Trump praised the Secret Service response, saying the attacker “came in running like he was an NFL (National Football League) running back” but was stopped before reaching the doors.