2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting
Part of Security incidents involving Donald Trump
President Donald Trump holding a meeting inside the Oval Office with cabinet members, soon after the shooting
Location 38°54′59″N 77°02′43″W / 38.91639°N 77.04528°W / 38.91639; -77.04528
Washington Hilton
Washington, D.C., US
Date April 25, 2026 (2026-04-25)
8:34 p.m.[1] (EDT; UTC−04:00)
Attack type
  • Political violence[2]
  • shooting
Weapons
  • 12-gauge Mossberg Maverick 88 pump-action shotgun
  • .38 Super Armscor Precision semi-automatic pistol
  • Multiple knives
Deaths 0
Injured 2[a]
Motive Assassinate Trump administration officials
(other motives under investigation)
Accused Cole Tomas Allen
Charges 3 counts[b]

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 by the Secret Service. It was the first White House Correspondents' Dinner that Trump had attended as a sitting president.[5]

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, who intended to target multiple Trump administration officials. Allen was arrested near the screening area outside the banquet hall. Investigators believe he was staying at the hotel as a guest. One officer was struck in a bullet-resistant vest and is expected to recover.[6] The suspect was taken to the hospital for a single knee injury despite not being hit by gunfire.[7]

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".[5][6] On April 27, Allen was charged with three criminal counts, using a firearm during a crime of violence, transportation of a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and attempting to assassinate a United States president.[3][8]

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.[9][10][11] This is also the second apparent presidential assassination attempt at the Washington Hilton, after the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981.[12]

Background

The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) holds an annual dinner in Washington, D.C., traditionally attended by the sitting president, members of the press, and other dignitaries. The 2026 dinner, held at the Washington Hilton, was the first such event attended by Trump during his presidencies; he had declined to attend during his first term and in 2025.[13] The 2026 dinner featured mentalist Oz Pearlman as the celebrity performer.[14]

The event attracted approximately 2,600 attendees,[15] including senior administration officials such as Vice President Vance,[14] Secretary of State Marco Rubio,[16] Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth,[16] Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Kash Patel,[14] Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.[14] and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin.[14]

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe said that security at the event was "almost on the level of a national security event", given the concentration of senior government officials in one location. He said that a likely massive coordination between the Secret Service and partner agencies had been organized in advance.[17] However, the highest security level was not invoked for the event.[18] The Associated Press noted that the lobby of the Washington Hilton regularly remains open to other guests during the dinner, and that security and screening is typically located closer to the ballroom itself.[19]

The Associated Press noted Trump's contentious relationship with journalists; before the dinner, five hundred journalists had signed a petition urging the WHCA to oppose Trump's "efforts to trample freedom of the press". For her part, WHCA president Weijia Jiang said, "I don't think people realize how closely we are working with the White House". Among the protesters outside the event, one held a sign saying, "Journalism is dead."[19] In 1981, John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan at the entrance to the same hotel.[20][21]

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that a discussion about the line of succession took place before the dinner but that there were several members of the Cabinet not in attendance, so no specific designated survivor was needed.[22]

Incident

Shooting

CCTV footage of the suspect entering the secure area near the ballroom

At approximately 8:34 p.m. EDT,[1] the suspect was confronted by security near the main metal detector screening area of the Washington Hilton; dinner was being served inside the main ballroom. He ran past the security checkpoint (at a speed said to be very fast) and authorities believe he fired at least one shot. He was chased and apprehended.[23] Several US Secret Service agents yelled "shots fired" inside the venue, according to pool reports.[24]

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, who was outside the main ballroom at the time, reported being only a few feet away from the gunman when the shots were fired. Blitzer described the shooter as firing what appeared to be "a very serious weapon" at least six times before being tackled and taken to the ground by police. Blitzer was ushered to safety in a nearby restroom by officers.[25][26]

The Secret Service stopped the suspect from entering the ballroom and he was taken into custody at the scene.[27] One law enforcement officer was struck in a bullet-resistant vest but is expected to recover.[28] The gunman sustained a single knee injury from the tackle, for which he was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.[29]

Evacuation

Trump, who had been seated at the head table on the stage as Oz Pearlman performed for him, his wife, and Karoline Leavitt, was surrounded by Secret Service agents about ten seconds after the shots were fired. Once armed guards in tactical gear with rifles appeared on the dais and some other attendees, including Vance, had been evacuated, Trump was escorted off the stage, briefly falling in the process. Many of the roughly 2,600 attendees took cover under their tables.[30][31][32][33]

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino[34][35] unsuccessfully attempted to start a "U-S-A!" chant as Trump was escorted out and others began filming inside the ballroom.[36] First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Vance, White House press secretary Leavitt, and other cabinet members were also evacuated from the ballroom and moved to secure holding areas within the hotel.[37] Several members of Congress were seen departing the event on foot, including Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL).[38]

Trump remained inside the hotel in a secure area while officials assessed the situation. He departed the Washington Hilton for the White House at approximately 9:45 p.m. EDT after law enforcement requested that all attendees leave the venue.[39] Among the attendees, Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika, was escorted away in tears.[40]

Accused

Cole Allen
Shortly after the shooting, President Donald Trump posted a photo on Truth Social of the arrest of Cole Tomas Allen.
Born
Cole Tomas Allen

(1995-04-11) April 11, 1995 (age 31)
Citizenship United States
Education California Institute of Technology

A suspect was arrested near the screening area outside of the banquet hall.[39] The United States Secret Service confirmed the incident in a statement, saying it was investigating a shooting incident near the main magnetometer screening area in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department.[38] The suspect was carrying a shotgun, handgun and knives.[23][2] Interim Washington, D.C., police chief Jeffery Carroll said the suspect was taken to the hospital for a single knee injury despite not being hit by gunfire and that investigators believe he was staying at the hotel as a guest.[7]

While the FBI has not officially named the suspect, two law enforcement officials spoke to news agencies, and named him as Cole Tomas Allen (born April 11, 1995), a Caltech-educated tutor, video game developer, and mechanical engineer from Torrance, California.[2][41][42][43][44][45] Trump posted images on Truth Social of Allen after his arrest, lying face down on the ground shirtless, with his hands cuffed behind his back, and surrounded by Secret Service agents.[41]

According to law enforcement, Allen worked for C2 Education, a tutoring firm in Torrance and received a "Teacher of the Month" award from the company in December 2024.[2][41] Wired magazine reported that Allen has been employed part-time at C2 Education since March 2020.[46] According to Federal Election Commission records, Allen donated $25 to a Democratic Party PAC, ActBlue, for Kamala Harris's presidential campaign in October 2024.[42][2] Allen has lived in the Greater Los Angeles area since 2010.[47][48]

Family members were interviewed by investigators and Secret Service agents said that Allen "made radical statements and that he constantly referenced a plan to do 'something' to fix the issues with today's world", that he was part of a Connecticut-based group called "The Wide Awakes" based in Hartford, attended No Kings protests in California, and would regularly go to a shooting range to train with firearms.[2][49] Allen's sister told Secret Service agents and the Montgomery County Police Department that Allen had purchased two handguns and a shotgun, which he stored at their parents' home without their knowledge.[50]

Allen's brother notified the New London Police Department about the alleged manifesto that he sent to his family members.[51][52] New London police chief Brian Wright released a statement the following afternoon, confirming that the "individual wanted to share information they believed to be pertinent to the matter".[53] The official characterized the writing as displaying anti-Trump sentiment and describes his targets as administration officials, and not guests or hotel employees. According to the official, Allen apologized to family and friends in his writing, and said that he does not expect forgiveness. New London police immediately turned their case over to federal law enforcement afterward.[54]

After the incident, FBI agents and the Torrance Police Department swarmed through Allen's house, using tactical gear and armored vehicles.[55] Acting US attorney general Todd Blanche said that Allen boarded Amtrak on April 21 and took two of their routes, the Southwest Chief from Los Angeles to Chicago and the Floridian from Chicago to Washington, before checking in as a guest at the hotel on April 24.[56]

A manifesto purported to be the suspect's read, in part:[57][58]

I am a citizen of the United States of America. 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... Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor's crimes.

The manifesto does not name Trump, but lists among its grievances the federal government's strikes on what it claimed were drug boats in the Pacific early in 2026.[58] It expressed the author's astonishment regarding the seeming lack of security at the hotel: "What the hell is the Secret Service doing?… No damn security. Not in transport. Not in the hotel. Not in the event." CBS News noted that because the Washington Hilton was a "functioning hotel with numerous public spaces during the dinner", only the areas where the dinner took place were secured by the Secret Service.[59][60]

On April 27, the US Department of Justice held a news conference to announce that Allen was being charged with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, transportation of a firearm and ammunition through interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.[61][3][8]

Aftermath

President Trump addresses the press two hours after the shooting.

Shortly after 9:00 p.m. EDT, WHCA president Weijia Jiang addressed the ballroom from the stage, announcing that the program would continue momentarily.[62] At approximately 9:20 p.m. EDT, security personnel began clearing out the ballroom, effectively canceling the event for the evening. Jiang later announced from the stage that Trump planned to give a briefing from the White House and that the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.[38]

Sources told CBS News that the suspect had told law enforcement he was trying to shoot officials from the Trump administration.[2] The day after the shooting, the Department of Justice announced that "preliminary findings" suggested Trump was the intended target.[63]

Other media galas planned for the same night in Washington, D.C., continued unabated including events associated with Substack, MS NOW, and Time.[64] Oz Pearlman, who had been entertaining Trump at the Correspondents' Dinner in the moments before the shooting, arrived at the MS NOW event feeling "shook up" but glad that the parties were going on.[64]

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are on a state visit to the United States from April 27 and 30, meeting both Donald Trump and the First Lady. After the shooting, Buckingham Palace announced that the state visit will go ahead as planned, but that the shooting incident has resulted in increased security, though specifics have not been announced.[65][66]

Responses

Federal

Shortly after the incident, Trump posted on Truth Social: "Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we 'LET THE SHOW GO ON' but will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement."[26] In a subsequent post, Trump wrote that law enforcement had requested all attendees leave and confirmed that the first lady, vice president, and all Cabinet members were "in perfect condition." He also stated the event would be rescheduled within 30 days and later held a press conference from the White House Briefing Room.[67][68]

During his briefing later that evening, Trump said the venue "was not a particularly secure building" and used it as support for the existence of the White House Ballroom.[69] He also doubted any connection of the shooter with the 2026 Iran war and said it would not stop him from "winning the war in Iran".[70] Former president Barack Obama condemned the assassination attempt against President Trump.[71]

Two days after the incident, Donald and Melania Trump both accused talk show host Jimmy Kimmel of inciting violence against them and of strengthening the political rift within America; they both called for him to be fired from ABC immediately. Three days before the shooting, Kimmel made a joke on his show while pretending to be the host of the upcoming White House Correspondents' Dinner, stating “Our first lady Melania is here...So beautiful, Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.” Kimmel responded to the accusations, stating that the joke was made days before the incident and that it has been based around their age difference and Melania's poker face during most events and reiterated that he was against any form of gun violence.[72]

US Secret Service

The US Secret Service issued an official statement confirming an investigation had begun and that all protectees were safe: "The U.S. Secret Service, in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department, is investigating a shooting incident near the main magnetometer screening area at the White House Correspondents' dinner. The president and first lady are safe along [with] all protectees."[38]

Greater Los Angeles

A computer science professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills, told the Associated Press that Allen took a few of his classes before graduating with a master's degree in computer science in 2025. He described Allen as "a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions", adding that he was very shocked to hear that Allen was the suspect in the attack.[73]

Neighbors who spoke to the Los Angeles Times said that Allen had just moved to the Old Torrance area six months prior to the attack.[43] A pastor at Pasadena United Reformed Church told National Public Radio that Allen had attended his services while at California Institute of Technology from September 2013 until graduating in June 2017 with a Bachelor of Science degree, describing Allen as a "nice, gentle, smart young man", a "good guy" and "quiet".[47]

Torrance mayor George K. Chen condemned the violence in Washington.[43][47][43]

International

Leaders from around the world condemned the shooting as an act of political violence, while also expressing relief that all attendees were safe.[74][75][76]

Analysis

El País's correspondent Iker Seisdedos characterized the shooting as "another sign of the increasingly tense atmosphere in the United States". Seisdedos placed the incident in the context of recent political violence in the United States, citing attacks or plots targeting figures including Steve Scalise, Gretchen Whitmer, Brett Kavanaugh, Paul Pelosi, and Charlie Kirk.[21]

Luke Broadwater, White House correspondent for The New York Times, discussed the shooting in the context of security concerns and recent threats against Trump.[77] David Smith, the Washington bureau chief for The Guardian, wrote that the incident reflected the prevalence of political violence in the United States[78] and noted that Trump himself had been criticized in the past for violent suggestions, such as purging the US of crime on "one really violent day".[79] After the shooting, Aaron Blake of CNN wrote about an emerging split reality in the US, explaining how the reaction to recent acts of political violence reflected increasingly warped views of the perpetrators from people from both the left and the right, as well as how both sides were overwhelmingly likely to blame the other for those acts.[80]

Misinformation and conspiracy theories

Media and fact checkers reported that conspiracy theories and unsupported claims rapidly circulated following the shooting at the Correspondents' Dinner.[81][82] Donie O'Sullivan discussed how prominent former Trump's supporters like Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene have recently questioned the official narrative on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, and quotes Keith Olbermann and Cenk Uygur blaming Trump's and his administration's mendacity for their own mistrust of their statements.[83]

NBC News described and analyzed the fast spread of misinformation, stating that "Conspiracy theories and a knee-jerk skepticism of current events have become the default response for a growing number of Americans, deepened by the loss of trust in institutions and supercharged by starkly partisan politics."[84] White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the conspiracy theories "crazy nonsense";[85] Trump called them "sick".[86]

The main reported false narratives are:

  • The "staged" narrative: claims that the entire event was faked for political gain. On Bluesky, many users posted "STAGED", echoing the response to the Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024, whereas on X, others claimed that the shooting was staged to increase support for Trump's plan to build a new ballroom in the White House.[87] Other reasons given for staging the shooting were Trump's low approval ratings, and his actions in the 2026 Iran war.[81][88] Comments from Leavitt and her husband Nicholas Riccio in particular were seen as them having prior knowledge of the shooting: Leavitt told Fox News shortly before "There will be some shots fired tonight in the room" in apparent reference to a planned speech of Trump.[89][90] Fox correspondent Aishah Hasnie reported that Riccio emphasized she "need[ed] to be very safe" at the event; while recanting this to the network, Hasnie's call cut out, causing speculation that Fox News was suppressing her account.[82][83][91]
  • Claims about the suspect: It has been alleged that the suspect's name was massively searched in Israel before the incident, and that the suspect had been seen wearing an Israel Defense Forces sweatshirt; the last claim was spread by American, Russian, and Iranian X accounts. These claims are unverified or have been debunked.[92][93][94] A viral image of a passport belonging to an Indian woman, who was supposedly married to the suspect, was in fact an AI-generated forgery.[95]

See also

  • 2025 shootings of Minnesota legislators
  • 2026 in Washington, D.C.
  • Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, occurred at the same hotel
  • Security incidents involving Donald Trump

References

  1. ^ 1 from gunfire, suspect sustained non-gunshot injuries
  2. ^
    • Attempting to assassinate the president of the United States
    • Using a firearm during a crime of violence
    • Transportation of firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony[3][4]
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  81. ^ a b Gilbert, David (April 26, 2026). "'STAGED': Conspiracy Theories Are Everywhere Following White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting". Wired. Retrieved April 26, 2026. In the immediate aftermath of the attack on the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night, influencers, pundits, and random posters lit up social media platforms like X, Bluesky, and Instagram with conspiracy theories about the attack and the alleged shooter.
    Both left and right-wing accounts claimed, without evidence, that the attack was staged.
  82. ^ a b Sherman, Amy (April 26, 2026). "Fact-checking falsehoods after shooting in hotel hosting correspondents' dinner Trump attended". PolitiFact. Retrieved April 26, 2026. [Contents:] Karoline Leavitt's remarks about "shots fired" referred to Trump's planned speech / Suspect was tackled, not shot / Fox News reporter's clipped call isn't evidence the shooting was staged / Man holding up a card was an entertainer, not signaling a shooting.
  83. ^ a b O'Sullivan, Donie (April 27, 2026). "Facts compete with conspiracy theories after WHCD attack". CNN. Retrieved April 27, 2026. Some of the best-known journalists in the country were gathered in the Hilton ballroom on Saturday night and immediately got to work establishing the facts of what had happened. But immediately — before anything was known about the suspect and his motives — the word 'staged' started to emerge as a trend across social media platforms. ... [The article also describes and debunks the claims that circulated about Karoline Leavitt and Aishah Hasnie.]
  84. ^ Abbruzzese, Jason; Boyce, Gibran Caroline; Tsirkin, Julie (April 27, 2026). "False flag conspiracy theories swirl around White House Correspondents' Dinner attack. Baseless claims that the incident was staged swirled almost immediately. By the next day, the idea had spread across social media. Even Trump noted the speed". NBC News. Retrieved April 27, 2026. Even as the events were unfolding, some had already anticipated the reaction. 'You know right-wing media is filled with all kinds of conspiracy theories lately about how President Trump's first assassination attempt was phony and fake?' Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told NBC News as he left the dinner. 'This is going to fuel all of that stuff, I'm sure.'
  85. ^ Aishah Hasnie, Karoline Leavitt (April 27, 2026). White House says conspiracy theories about shooting are 'crazy nonsense' (Internet video). NBC News. Retrieved April 27, 2026. [Video description:] White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about how the administration plans to combat the conspiracy theories about the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting from spreading. Leavitt dismissed the rumors as "crazy nonsense" and planned to dispel any misinformation by assuring transparency. [Total running time, 1:15 min.]
  86. ^ Mark Owen, Vedika Bahl, Donald Trump (April 27, 2026). 'Staged': Conspiracy theories surge after shooting at White House Correspondents' Dinner (Internet video). France 24. Event occurs at 1:38 min. Retrieved April 27, 2026. [Includes an excerpt of April 27 Trump's CBS interview, in which he discusses the conspiracy theories about the shooting. Total running time, 5:11 min.]
  87. ^ Scott, Liam (April 27, 2026). "First came the shooting. Then, the conspiracy theories. The shooting at the White House correspondents' dinner has sparked conspiracy theories on the left and the right that it was staged to drum up support for Trump and his ballroom". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 27, 2026. The theory has bounded the political spectrum, from the pro-Trump right to staunch critics of the president, such as Crockett. ... About a fifth of the left-wing and liberal influencers and politicians who posted about the shooting used conspiratorial language, according to a Post analysis of social media posts and podcasts. ... Some, like former MAGA influencer Ashley St. Clair, have pointed to other moments in the aftermath of the shooting to suggest a different kind of coordination. After dozens of conservative influencers and Trump supporters made similar posts on X saying the incident showed the need for a new White House ballroom, as Trump has requested, St. Clair argued that many of them had probably shared the talking point in private groups, so as to boost its appeal. 'Everything in MAGA is fake, staged and coordinated,' she said in a TikTok video.
  88. ^ Thompson, Stuart A.; Hsu, Tiffany; Myers, Steven Lee (April 26, 2026). "Rumors and Speculation Swirl Online After Shooting at Washington Dinner". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2026. This time, users from across the political spectrum were participating in the chaos on platforms like X, Facebook and TikTok. Some users claimed that the attack was 'staged,' suggesting without evidence that it was part of an apparent plot by Mr. Trump or others to distract from bad polling numbers or the war with Iran. The term 'staged' surged to more than 300,000 posts on X by midday Sunday, according to data by TweetBinder, a social media analytics company owned by Audiense. (At least some of those posts refuted the notion that the attack was planned.)
  89. ^ Esposito, Laura (April 26, 2026). "Karoline Leavitt Made Bizarre 'Shots Fired' Brag Minutes Before Shooting". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  90. ^ Tolliver, Jazmin (April 26, 2026). "Karoline Leavitt's Eerily Prescient Words Go Viral After Correspondents' Dinner Shooting". HuffPost. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  91. ^ Sanyal, Shounak (April 27, 2026). "Mysterious call drop as Fox News reporter recounts warning by Karoline Leavitt's husband". India Today. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  92. ^ Mishra, Vinay (April 26, 2026). "Was Trump Shooting Staged? Viral Posts Claim Name Of Accused Was Searched Hundreds Of Times In Israel Before Incident". The Free Press Journal (published April 26, 2025). Retrieved April 26, 2026. However, verification efforts found that the suspect's name began trending in Israel only after the shooting took place, contradicting the claim. ... Another viral post alleged that the suspect was seen wearing a sweatshirt associated with the Israel Defense Forces. This claim, however, could not be independently verified.
  93. ^ White House Dinner Shooter Cole Allen In 'IDF Sweatshirt'? Viral Photo Fuels Israel Speculation (Internet video). The Times of India. April 26, 2026. Retrieved April 26, 2026. [The video describes how the rumors about the suspect's connection to Israel (and him being a Democrat assassin according to Laura Loomer) were spread, debunking them. Total running time: 7:14 min.]
  94. ^ Upadhayay, Prapti (April 27, 2026). "'Staged', 'False Flag': How Trump Event Shooting Became Conspiracy Magnet". NDTV. Retrieved April 27, 2026. Some accounts, including Russian and Iranian media, also shared unverified images claiming links to Israeli institutions. It is important to note that the officials haven't found any evidence to support these claims. Officials said the suspect's writings focused on personal motivations and did not reference any foreign involvement.
  95. ^ Biswas, Shuvrajit Das (April 27, 2026). "Cole Tomas Allen: Fact-checking claims about White House correspondents' dinner shooting suspect's wife and marriage". Hindustan Times. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
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