President Trump Reacts to 3rd Assassination Attempt, Manifesto

On April 25, 2026, gunfire disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Cabinet members, and around 2,600 guests were inside the ballroom when shots rang out near a Secret Service security checkpoint. No guests were injured. Senior officials, including the president, were quickly evacuated. It is important to note that the intruder did not make it into the room but did attempt to run past security.

The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California, rushed the checkpoint armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives. He fired shots at law enforcement. Officers returned fire, striking one Secret Service agent who was protected by body armor and sustained no serious injury. Allen was tackled and apprehended near a staircase leading toward the ballroom without being shot himself. He suffered only a minor knee injury. He had checked into the hotel as a guest the day before after traveling by train from California through Chicago. Authorities believe he acted alone.
Allen worked as a part-time tutor for high school students and was an amateur video game developer with a background in mechanical engineering and computer science. People who knew him described him as intelligent, friendly, and normal. He had no widely reported prior violent criminal history.
Minutes before the incident, Allen sent writings—often called a manifesto—to family members. In it, he referred to himself as the “friendly federal assassin” and signed off as “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen.” He apologized to his parents, colleagues, students, travelers, and “all the other non-targeted people at the hotel” he put in danger. He stated his intent to target Trump administration officials (excluding FBI Director Kash Patel), prioritized from highest- to lower-ranking. Key lines included: “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes” and arguments that “turning the other cheek” when others are oppressed is “complicity in the oppressor’s crimes.” The note also referenced anti-Christian elements and perceived lax security.

A family member alerted authorities after receiving the writings. In an interview with 60 Minutes following the cancellation of the event, President Trump said he “wasn’t worried” during the evacuation. He explained that he initially mistook the shots for “a tray dropping,” and praised the Secret Service. When the interviewer read an excerpt from the would-be assassin’s manifesto aloud, Trump called the reporter a “disgrace” and responded, “I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.” He described the suspect as a “sick guy” who “hates Christians.” You can watch the full interview below.

On April 27, Allen appeared in federal court facing charges including attempted assassination of the president. The investigation continues.