President Donald Trump revealed that the suspect who tried to use a weapon to attack senior government officials during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., is a "man with mental illness" who had previously been reported by his family to law enforcement agencies.
The incident occurred at 20:35 local time on Saturday (25 Apr) during the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner, attended by numerous senior officials including Vice President J.D. Vance, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The assailant fired a shotgun at Secret Service agents at the security checkpoint. Fortunately, the bullets hit a bulletproof vest, preventing serious injury to the agents, before the suspect was subdued. Trump and his party were immediately escorted to a secure area.
Trump said in a television interview that the suspect, identified by authorities as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen from Torrance, California, had posted what Trump described as an "anti-Christian statement."
Speaking to CBS's "60 Minutes" one day after the shooting at a Washington, D.C. hotel on Saturday night, Trump said, "He used to be a Christian, a believer, and then he became anti-Christian. He changed a lot. He probably has mental illness."
President Trump also said he "was not worried" when evacuated from the White House correspondents' dinner after the gunman tried to enter the banquet hall. "I'm not worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world," he said.
In a statement, Allen called himself a "friendly federal assassin" and said he planned to target members of the Trump administration, ranking from highest to lowest levels, but excluding FBI Director Kash Patel. Allen also cited Christian theology, claiming he was trying to protect those affected by government policies. "Turning the other cheek when *others* are oppressed is not Christian behavior but complicity in the oppressor's crimes," he said.
The White House issued a statement saying the president and his cabinet "stand unshaken" after surviving the assassination attempt. Jiang Weijia, president of the White House Correspondents' Association who sat next to Trump at the dinner, described the event as "terrifying" and thanked the officers who protected the thousands of guests at the event.
In his statement, the attacker mocked the hotel's lax security, noting he was able to carry multiple weapons inside without suspicion. Preliminary investigations found Allen traveled by Amtrak train from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., where train travel in the U.S. does not require airport-style metal detectors.
Officials said police exchanged fire with the suspect and apprehended him, and "believe" he fired a gun. The attacker was not injured but was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation. Police said he possessed two firearms and several knives.
The incident gave Trump an opportunity to promote the construction of a "top-secret military banquet hall" within the White House, stating on Truth Social that incidents like this would never happen if held in such a facility.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blance revealed that Allen will be federally charged with assaulting a government official, discharging a firearm, and attempted murder of a government official. Authorities will continue investigating possible foreign (Iranian) connections.
This incident underscores the rising political violence in the U.S. over the past year amid worldwide condemnation from global leaders, while the White House confirmed that the visit of King Charles III of the United Kingdom on Monday will proceed as planned.