BREAKING NEWSWhite House Correspondents' Dinner Suspected Shooter Cole Tomas Allen Officially Charged With Trying to Assassinate Donald Trump
Cole Tomas Allen was hit with three charges.
April 27 2026, Published 2:42 p.m. ET
Cole Tomas Allen has officially been charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump.
In court on Monday, April 27, the White House Correspondents' Dinner suspected shooter was also charged with interstate transportation of weapons and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime.
He did not have to enter a plea in court for the three charges, with his preliminary hearing set for May 11, NBC News reported.
Cole Tomas Allen Has Not Been Relased From Custody
Cole Tomas Allen did not enter a plea yet.
The outlet reported that Allen, 31, was wearing a blue jumpsuit during his appearance and spoke quietly.
He's currently still in custody, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine telling the court, "He attempted to assassinate the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. We are asking the court to preventatively detain Mr. Allen."
The POTUS Was Safely Evacuated From the Dinner
The teacher allegedly wrote about targeting the president in a manifesto.
As OK! reported, Allen allegedly had a manifesto revealing why he wanted to kill the president at the Saturday, April 26, event in Washington, D.C. It was uncovered after security was able to apprehend him following Allen firing multiple shots.
Guards successfully evacuated the POTUS, politicians and other guests from the area.
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The President Praised the Secret Service's Actions
The POTUS called the suspected shooter 'a very sick person' on Truth Social.
In a Truth Social post following the ordeal, Trump called Allen a "very sick person."
"[The] gunman was taken down by brave members of the Secret Service. I put out the tape showing this violence that this thug attacked our Constitution. They really did a great job," he shared. "One officer was shot but saved by the fact that he was wearing a very good bulletproof vest. The vest did the job. I spoke to the officer, and he's in great shape. He's in very high spirits. We told him we love him and respect him, and he's very proud of what he does."
Donald Trump said only people who make 'the biggest impact' are targeted in attempted assassinations.
"We need a level of security that no one has seen before," he continued. "You see the attacker totally subdued. This is not the first time the Republicans have been attacked by a would-be assassin. In Pennsylvania and Palm Beach, we came close. We had some great work done by law enforcement, but in light of this evening's events, we commit to resolving our differences peacefully."
The businessman also sparked backlash due to some of the comments he made in a press briefing afterwards, saying he was "honored" to be targeted.
"Well, you know, I've studied assassinations, and I must tell you, the most impactful people," he expressed. "You take a look at the people, Abraham Lincoln — I mean you go through the people that have gone through this, when they've got them, but the people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact, they're the ones they go after."
