Cole Allen
On the evening of April 25, 2026, gunshots were fired near the main security screening area for the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and members of the Cabinet were evacuated from the event by the Secret Service. It was the first White House Correspondents' Dinner that Trump attended as president.
Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, who allegedly intended to target multiple Trump administration officials. Allen was arrested near the screening area outside the banquet hall after running past the security checkpoint while armed. Investigators believe he was staying at the hotel as a guest. One officer was struck in his bullet-resistant vest and was admitted to a hospital but was later released. The suspect was taken to the hospital for a single knee injury despite not being hit by gunfire.
A manifesto that officials attributed to Allen criticized Trump administration policies, referred to himself as the "Friendly Federal Assassin", and stated that he intended to target administration officials. The manifesto did not name Trump, but stated "I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes". Allen was charged with four criminal counts, including attempting to assassinate a United States president, carrying a possible sentence of life in prison if convicted. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges on May 11. The dinner was rescheduled for July 24, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel.
The incident was the third apparent attempt on Trump's life since 2024, following the July 2024 attempt near Butler, Pennsylvania, and the September 2024 attempt at Trump's golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Washington Hilton was the site of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981.
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