WASHINGTON — The gunman who opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night has been identified as Cole Allen of Torrance, Calif. — with President Trump calling him a likely “lone wolf whack job” who “looked pretty evil.”
The 31-year-old, identified by federal law enforcement sources, was arrested after allegedly entering the Washington Hilton hotel and charging toward the ballroom where Trump and roughly 2,500 guests had assembled.
The gunfire broke out near the event’s indoor security screening area just after 8:30 p.m. — as salad was being served. The Secret Service rushed Trump out of the room as members of his cabinet ducked under tables before they too were evacuated.
A LinkedIn profile matching his name and photo described him as a teacher at C2 Education, a tutoring and test prep company. C2 awarded him the “teacher of the month” in December 2024, according to social media posts.
Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, according to the LinkedIn profile.
A spokeswoman for Caltech told the New York Times that a person named Cole Allen had earned an undergraduate degree in 2017, but the school did not have any further information immediately available.
Allen’s neighbor, who gave the name Jeff Smith, told The Post that “maybe he could be on the spectrum.”
Federal Election Commission records show he donated $25 to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in October 2024.
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Dramatic video posted on social media by Trump shows Allen opening fire and rushing toward the ballroom.
A law enforcement officer was shot, with the bullet hitting his bulletproof vest.
“He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives as he ran into that checkpoint,” DC police chief Jeffrey Carroll said.
“At this point it does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll said. “There does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public.”
The New York Post front cover for April 26, 2026.
Allen was being charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and with assault of a federal officer, Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, said Saturday.
FBI agents were later seen raiding his Torrance address.
Trump hosted a press conference at the White House shortly after the incident, joined by first lady Melania Trump, who appeared on the verge of tears when her husband mentioned prior assassination attempts.
“There was a tremendous amount of love and coming together I watched,” the president said. “I was very, very impressed by that.”
Witnesses described a frantic scene inside the venue after seven to eight shots were fired. C2 Education/Facebook
Secret Service agents rush President Trump off the dais after a shooting inside the Washington Hilton on April 25, 2026. REUTERS
Trump revealed that he heard the gunshots but was not immediately aware of the danger.
“I heard a noise, and thought it was a tray going down,” he said. “We heard that noise, and it was either a tray or a bullet. I was hoping it was a tray.”
The president vowed to headline a new, rescheduled correspondents’ dinner within 30 days and to rework his prepared remarks, in which he said he had been ready to rip into reporters.
Trump praised White House Correspondents’ Association president Weijia Jiang of CBS News, with whom he sat on stage, for her leadership, prompting the briefing room to erupt in applause.
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“I fought like hell to stay,” Trump said. “They said, ‘Please, sir,’ because they didn’t know … there was a lot of action going on, and they didn’t know.”
Trump said Allen “was fast — he was running full blast” and “charged from 50 yards away.”
The president said that he doesn’t believe the attack was linked to the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran.
“It’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it. I really don’t think so, based on what we know,” Trump said.
Guests take cover under tables after shots rang out outside the ballroom of the Washington Hilton hotel on April 25, 2026. REUTERS
He also vowed to continue his hard-charging political style.
“A lot of other people, you know, you read stories when they become basket cases, to be honest with you. I’m not a basket case,” Trump said.
“I want to live because I want to make this country great. That’s why I want to live. When you’re impactful, they go after you.”
The president declined to answer a question about how weapons were smuggled inside the hotel.
Video footage captured the gunman racing through the lobby, past Secret Service agents. Donald Trump/Truth Social
Guests had to pass an outer security perimeter, where they were required to show either a ticket or an invitation to a pre-party. There was no screening for weapons except for immediately before the ballroom.
Allen apparently got into the hotel by paying for a room, the DC police chief told a Post reporter.
A witness told The Post that the suspect appeared to emerge from a “makeshift room” near the entrance where bar carts were being stored and where “there was no security” at the time.
“He was in that room […] he grabbed it out of a bag or something,” said witness Helen Mabus, a volunteer working the event, adding that the weapon “was long” and “didn’t look like a typical gun.”
Witnesses described a frantic scene inside the venue after between four and eight shots were fired.
President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference at the White House after the shooting on April 25, 2026. AP
Police stand outside the home of Cole Allen in Torrance, California, on April 25, 2026. Kevin Perkins for CA Post
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who was sitting with the Washington Post, was stepped on by a Secret Service agent, a witness told The Post’s Miranda Devine. Dhillon confirmed that she suffered a “facial bruise” during the mayhem.
An elderly man in attendance also appeared to be injured and limped out of the ballroom with assistance.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was sitting with the New York Post about 40 feet from the president, said shortly afterward that “I was hoping the room hadn’t been breached.”
“There were a lot of high-value targets in the room,” Bessent said. “The president and vice president were both up on stage.”
He also noted that the same hotel was “where Reagan got shot” in 1981 by John Hinckley Jr.
It was not clear in the immediate aftermath of the incident what had occurred.
Trump praised law enforcement for acting quickly as he revealed what happened on social media.
“Quite an evening in DC, Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, where he posted a photo of the suspect.
“The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON,’ but will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement,” he added.