A man has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner April 25.
The suspect, who was apprehended on the scene, has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old educator for a tutoring firm from California. He was believed to be a guest at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. where the dinner took place. Despite at least five to eight shots being fired during the attack, only one Secret Service officer was hit and is expected to recover.
The shooting took place at approximately 8:30 p.m., causing chaos among the 2,600 guests in attendance. Allen reportedly charged past security, but was apprehended before he could enter the main ballroom where the guests sat. Trump and other notable attendees, such as Vice President J.D. Vance and First Lady Melania Trump, were quickly evacuated to secure areas.
Other attendees, the majority of whom are journalists, took cover under tables and filmed the happenings in the ballroom. The dinner is hosted annually by the organization that represents news outlets covering the White House, at which the the White House Correspondents’ Association hands out awards and scholarships. It is typically headlined by a comedian who pokes fun at the president and members of the press. This year’s event was the first that Trump attended during his presidencies.
Law enforcement reportedly found writings in Allen’s hotel room, along with manifestos sent to his family before the attack. One of these writings had Allen referring to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin.”
“I am a citizen of the United States of America,” he wrote. “What my representatives do reflects on me. And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.”
Allen also reportedly attended a “No Kings” protest in California and donated to Kamala Harris’s campaign in 2024. Family members and friends have stated that he is a Christian, and his manifesto denounces those in power as going against Christian values.
Trump stated on Truth Social April 26 that the shooting “would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House.” The construction of Trump’s ballroom, and the October 2025 demolition of the previous East Wing, invited a lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in December 2025. The Department of Justice requested the lawsuit be halted following the shooting, but the trust reiterated that they would not drop it.
“We have always acknowledged the utility of a larger meeting space at the White House,” wrote Carol Quillen, president and CEO of NTHP, in a statement April 27. “Building it lawfully requires the approval of Congress, which the Administration could seek at any time.”
At an April 30 hearing, Allen conceded to remaining in detention despite his public defenders arguing that he had no criminal record and was unlikely to violate any conditions of his release. He faces a minimum of ten years in prison if convicted of one of his firearm charges, or life in prison if convicted of attempting to assassinate the president of the United States. It is currently unknown if the black-tie event will be rescheduled.
