President Donald Trump was hurried off stage by Secret Service agents on Saturday night, April 25, 2026, after a gunman opened fire near the security checkpoint of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton.
According to CNN, the suspect — identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California — was “armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives” and charged through a security checkpoint before being subdued. One Secret Service officer was struck but survived because of his ballistic vest. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro confirmed Allen will face federal charges, including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.
Trump, who was unhurt, later described the suspect as a “lone wolf” and praised the “very brave members of Secret Service” who took him down.
A Rare Appearance Amid a Frosty Press Relationship
Saturday’s dinner was historic for an unsettling reason: it was the first time Trump had attended the annual black-tie event as a sitting president. He skipped every year of his first term (2017–2020) and the first year of his second, ending what Al Jazeera described as a “years-long boycott” rooted in his combative relationship with the press.
Trump has long branded mainstream outlets “fake news,” and his return to the dinner came even as the Wall Street Journal — an outlet he recently sued — was set to receive an award for accountability journalism. His last appearance at the event before this year was in 2011, as a private citizen, when he was famously roasted by then-President Barack Obama.
A Pattern of Threats
Saturday’s incident adds to a list of close calls that, according to Axios, no modern American president has faced.
- June 2016 — Las Vegas: Michael Sandford attempts to grab a police officer’s firearm at a Trump rally; arrested and later deported.
- July 13, 2024 — Butler, Pennsylvania: Thomas Crooks fires eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle at a Trump rally, grazing his ear, killing one spectator and wounding others before being shot dead by Secret Service.
- September 15, 2024 — West Palm Beach, Florida: Ryan Routh is intercepted with a rifle near Trump International Golf Club; later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
- 2024 — Iran-linked plots: Pakistani national Asif Merchant is charged in a murder-for-hire scheme tied to Iran’s IRGC; Afghan national Farhad Shakeri is later charged in a separate IRGC-linked plot.
- October 2025 — Palm Beach: Secret Service finds an elevated hunting stand with a line of sight to Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport.
- February 2026 — Mar-a-Lago: Secret Service shoots and kills 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin after he approaches the property with a shotgun and a gas canister.
- April 25, 2026 — Washington, D.C.: Saturday’s shooting at the Correspondents’ Dinner.
Speaking after Saturday’s incident, Trump told reporters: “We’re not going to let anybody take over our society,” signalling that he has no intention of scaling back his public appearances.
The investigation is ongoing. Allen is expected to be arraigned Monday.
Sources: CNN | Washington Post | CBS News | Al Jazeera | Axios