The US Attorney General believes the gunman who opened fire at the White House Press Association dinner Saturday night aimed at Donald Trump and senior officials from his administration attending the event.
On 26 Apr 2026 GMT+7, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed that the man who fired shots at the White House Press Association dinner Saturday night intended to target President Donald Trump and members of his government.
Blanche stated that authorities believe the suspect traveled from California to Washington, D.C., taking a train route through Chicago.
The shooting occurred Saturday evening near the Washington Hilton hotel's banquet room, where Trump presided over the event attended by senior government officials and hundreds of journalists, while Secret Service agents apprehended the gunman.
Although investigators have not officially named the suspect, multiple US media outlets identified him as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen from Torrance, California.
Trump told Fox News that the suspect’s family had previously expressed concerns about him to local police before the incident. The president also said the accused had written anti-Christian statements.
"This guy is a sick person," Trump said to Fox News. "When you read his statement, you see that he hates Christians."
Police have preliminarily examined the suspect’s electronic devices and writings, believing he intended to target members of Trump’s administration attending the dinner.
"It appears he deliberately aimed at people working in the administration, and there is a high likelihood this included the president himself," Blanche told NBC.