Man Charged with Attempted Trump Assassination at WH Dinner Shooting

Cole Tomas Allen appeared in court Saturday to face federal charges following the chaotic encounter that resulted in shots being fired, Trump rushing off stage unharmed and guests taking shelter under their tables. He was ordered to remain in jail pending further hearings and faces life imprisonment if convicted solely of the assassination charge.

An FBI affidavit filed in the case revealed additional details about the planning behind the attack; Authorities alleged that Allen reserved a room for himself at a Washington hotel on April 6, where the event would be held weeks later under typically tight security. He traveled across the country from California by train last week, checking into the Washington Hilton with a room reserved for the weekend the day before dinner. Authorities said he had with him a 12-gauge shotgun he bought last year and a 0.38-caliber semi-automatic pistol he bought in 2023.

The event had barely begun when authorities said the 31-year-old Torrance, Calif., man tried to speed past a security barricade near the massive ballroom packed with hundreds of journalists and their guests, prompting an exchange of gunfire between Secret Service agents assigned to guard the event.

“Violence has no place in civilian life,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a news conference. “It cannot and will not be used to subvert democratic institutions or intimidate those who serve them, and it certainly cannot continue to be used against the president of the United States.”

“We are investigating this matter thoroughly, will apply the law fairly and ensure accountability is swift and certain.”

Allen was injured during the attack but was not shot. A Secret Service officer was shot but was wearing a bullet-resistant vest and survived, authorities said.

Questions remain about how many shots Allen fired and how many officers fired their weapons.

Blanche said investigators believe a Secret Service agent fired five shots and that Allen fired his shotgun at least once. However, Blanche did not say whether authorities had confirmed that it was Allen’s bullet that hit the agent’s vest or whether any other officers used those weapons. Blanche said ballistics experts are still reviewing evidence to shed more light on these questions.

The Justice Department charged Allen with two additional firearms charges, including discharge of a weapon during a crime of violence, but the affidavit does not allege that Allen was responsible for shooting the agent.

Suspect’s email sheds light on motive The conflict resulted in the cancellation of Trump’s first dinner as president.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that the night was supposed to be a joyous one but was instead “hijacked by a crazed anti-Trump individual who is traveling across the country to assassinate the president and as many administration officials as possible.”

Allen invoked his constitutional right to remain silent following his arrest, but authorities say an email he sent to family members and a former employer helped elucidate his motive.

In the message, a copy of which is included in the affidavit, Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and indirectly addressed complaints about a number of Trump administration actions. The rambling text oscillates between confession, complaint, and farewell; Allen is trying to explain the attack while apologizing to family members, co-workers and even strangers who he fears could be subjected to violence.

The magistrate judge granted the prosecutor’s request to keep Allen locked up pending additional hearings, including a detention hearing on Thursday.

Allen, as is customary, did not speak at length during the speedy hearing, but one of his lawyers, Tezira Abe, noted that he had no criminal record.

“He is also presumed innocent at this time,” he said.

Records reveal that Allen was a highly educated teacher and amateur video game developer. A social media profile of a man with the same name and a photo matching that of the suspect indicate that the suspect has been working part-time for the past six years for a company that provides admissions counseling and test preparation services to college students.

Voter registration records in California list Allen’s home address as his parent’s house, located on a tree-lined street in one of the most historic neighborhoods of Torrance, a city within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. When an Associated Press reporter knocked on the door Sunday, no one answered the door. During the afternoon, several people who appeared to be law enforcement agents were investigating the neighborhood; One of them was wearing an FBI sweatshirt.

A yard sign displayed at the family’s home supported a local judge candidate backed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. Federal campaign finance records show Cole Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential bid and listed his employer as C2 Education.

Allen is eligible to vote in California without party affiliation and has voted in the last three general elections, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena in 2017, according to his profile on social networking site LinkedIn. The small university is academically prestigious with a very low acceptance rate. He also noted that he was involved in a campus group and Christian student community that fought Nerf guns.

Allen’s profile photo on LinkedIn shows him wearing a cap and gown as he graduated from California State University at Dominguez Hills with a master’s degree in computer science. The photo appears to have been taken in May 2025.