Trump Calls Norah O'Donnell 'Terrible,' Says 'Any Woman Off the Street' Could Do Her Job

Donald Trump intensified his public criticism of CBS News correspondent Norah O'Donnell during a May 4 interview on the Salem News Channel. In the remarks, Trump called O'Donnell 'terrible' and said 'any woman off the street' could perform her job just as well. The comments marked a further turn in the exchange between the former president and the veteran journalist following an April 26 '60 Minutes' interview about the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting suspect's alleged manifesto. Multiple outlets including The Independent, Yahoo News, and The Wrap reported on the latest remarks as fallout from the televised clash, with coverage appearing between May 4 and May 5.

The Details

During the Salem News Channel interview, Trump addressed O'Donnell in direct personal terms. 'She's terrible,' he said, according to Yahoo News and People coverage. The Independent reported an extended comment in which Trump said: 'She's a regular person that gets paid a lot of money. She's no different. I could get any woman off the street, practically, and they would do just as good a job as her. There's nothing special.'

Coverage from Yahoo News and People corroborated the 'terrible' characterization, while The Independent provided the longer quotation in which Trump explicitly dismissed O'Donnell's professional qualifications. The remarks, aired May 4, came more than a week after the April 26 '60 Minutes' broadcast that prompted the original clash.

During the '60 Minutes' segment, O'Donnell read from the alleged manifesto of Cole Allen, identified in multiple reports as the suspect in the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C. Trump's response during that exchange included telling O'Donnell directly, 'You're a disgrace,' according to CNN. CNN also reported that he called the media 'horrible people' during the exchange.

Context

The dispute originated in the aftermath of the April 25 incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. The Guardian and Deadline both identified the alleged shooter as Cole Thomas Allen, also referenced in some reports as Cole Allen. According to CNN, O'Donnell quoted from an alleged manifesto connected to the suspect during the April 26 '60 Minutes' interview. The interview took place one day after the Washington, D.C. shooting, placing the exchange in immediate proximity to the event.

Trump's reaction during the '60 Minutes' broadcast drew significant attention. CNN's coverage noted that he told O'Donnell, 'You're a disgrace,' and characterized media figures involved in related coverage as 'horrible people.' The exchange became a focal point in reporting on the incident's aftermath, with The Guardian describing it as a tense moment tied to the broader White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting story.

O'Donnell defended her line of questioning after the interview aired. The Independent quoted her as stating: 'These are important questions about what happened and why it happened.' Her statement framed the questioning as focused on factual inquiry. The Independent was the first to report both her defense and Trump's extended Salem interview remarks.

The Wrap published a follow-up story on May 5 treating Trump's Salem News Channel comments as direct fallout from the '60 Minutes' exchange. The outlet joined CNN, The Guardian, Deadline, Yahoo News, People, and The Independent in documenting the back-and-forth between Trump and O'Donnell. The six sources consulted span tier-one and tier-two publications.

What's Next

As of May 5, the exchange between Trump and O'Donnell remained confined to public remarks with no indication of additional direct interaction. The Wrap's May 5 coverage presented the Salem News Channel interview as the latest development in the episode. O'Donnell's defense of her questioning, quoted by The Independent, stands as her public response to Trump's characterization of her conduct. No further interviews or formal statements from either party had been reported at the time of publication. The sourced coverage from six outlets continued to frame the matter in the context of the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting aftermath. The May 4 Salem interview and the May 5 follow-up stories represented the most recent developments in the ongoing coverage.