The White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25, 2026, was interrupted when an armed man, identified as Cole Allen, engaged in a gunfire exchange with law enforcement after breaching a security checkpoint. Allen was apprehended on-site, and while one law enforcement officer sustained a minor injury, no attendees were harmed.
President Donald Trump, attending his first Correspondents' Dinner as president, requested the event be rescheduled following the incident, but it was ultimately canceled due to the venue being declared an active crime scene. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche indicated that preliminary investigations suggest Allen may have targeted Trump administration officials, although the specifics of his intentions remain unclear.
Allen reportedly traveled from Torrance, California, to Washington, D.C., checking into the Washington Hilton prior to the event. He is a former teacher at C2 Education, which expressed shock over the incident and stated its commitment to assisting law enforcement.
Authorities have retrieved a letter allegedly written by Allen, in which he expressed extreme anti-Trump sentiments, describing himself as a "friendly federal assassin." It was noted that he was not previously on law enforcement's radar, and he acquired the firearms used in the incident within the past two years.
In response to the shooting, oversight hearings are anticipated in Congress to address security measures related to the Correspondents' Dinner. The Secret Service, which is under scrutiny for the security breach, maintains that its personnel acted effectively during the incident, swiftly subduing Allen after he breached the perimeter.