President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026, after shots were fired outside the event at the Washington Hilton hotel. Al Jazeera
Trump was rushed offstage after gunfire broke out outside the ballroom where the annual media gala was taking place. The President, First Lady Melania Trump, and members of the Cabinet were unharmed.
The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, has been charged with attempted assassination of the President, transportation of a firearm across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, Allen made a reservation at the Washington Hilton on April 6, traveling by train from near Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington, D.C., arriving on April 24. Shortly before 8:40 p.m. on April 25, he approached a security checkpoint on the Terrace Level of the hotel. Just before the attack, Allen sent an email to family members and a former employer, writing: “My sincerest apologies for all the trouble I’ve caused.”
Trump told reporters that the suspect, armed with multiple weapons, had charged the security checkpoint and been taken down by the Secret Service. A Secret Service officer was struck in his protective vest but was unharmed.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran defended the agency’s response, saying the threat was stopped within seconds at the outermost perimeter of a multi-layered security bubble, with the nearest checkpoint located 355 feet from where Trump was seated.
World leaders condemned the attack, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating, “Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned.” The incident has renewed scrutiny of the Secret Service amid ongoing concerns about staffing shortages and resource constraints within the agency.
Allen is awaiting trial and has not yet entered a plea.
