UPDATED 11:10 PM EDT April 25, 2026:
President Trump shared a video of the would-be assassin, Cole Tomas Allen, as he rushed a Secret Service checkpoint in the lobby of the Washington Hilton, where the White House Correspondents Dinner was being held.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 26, 2026
Law enforcement officials said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives.
California political data guru Rob Pyers reports that Allen is registered as a “no party preference” voter.
Public records return a CalTech email address for the Cole Tomas Allen in Torrance, and FEC records show a single $25 contribution via ActBlue to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign from a Cole Allen at C2 Education from the same ZIP code. pic.twitter.com/bIMngbTL8M
— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) April 26, 2026
ORIGINAL STORY
As RedState reported, a would-be assassin was taken down by the Secret Service outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday evening, leaving thousands of people ducking for cover and an evacuation of President Donald Trump and other administration officials. The shooter, who was originally reported to have been killed, was taken alive in the lobby after trying to breach the security perimeter.
Now, we know his name, and at least a strong indication that his target was indeed Trump.
NEWS: The attempted shooter at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner is 31 year old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California and he is in custody.
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) April 26, 2026
Here’s a picture of the shooter, posted by the president himself.
#BREAKING: Trump releases photo of White House Correspondents Dinner shooter. pic.twitter.com/AcZCAUVxIW
— Insider Wire (@InsiderWire) April 26, 2026
That matches pictures of a teacher from Torrance, CA, named Cole Tomas Allen.
The suspected shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner incident has reportedly been identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California. pic.twitter.com/1jxmJkBfFt
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 26, 2026
That same name, occupation, employer, and location match an ActBlue donation to Kamala Harris’ 2024 campaign, suggesting that Allen was there to target Trump and not members of the press.
BREAKING: I just searched the contributor database and a name and city matching the shooter donated to Kamala Harris and is a teacher pic.twitter.com/3fFIwbibw5
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 26, 2026
Trump is currently, as I write this, giving a press conference. There may be more details revealed there.
This is a developing story. RedState will provide updates as they come.
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