Trump targeted by ‘sick’ shooter who called himself the ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’
Donald Trump escaped his third suspected assassination attempt unhurt after a gunman calling himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin” opened fire during the prestigious White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
The US President and members of his administration are believed to have been the targets of Saturday night’s attack, attorney general Todd Blanche said.
The suspect, teacher and California Institute of Technology graduate Cole Tomas Allen, 31, stormed security in the lobby of the Washington Hilton armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.
In a manifesto sent to family minutes earlier, Mr Allen allegedly revealed he was trying to kill Trump administration officials, a US official told the New York Post.
President Trump said Mr Allen was “a very troubled guy” who “hates Christians” after details of the manifesto emerged. But he insisted the shooting would not have an impact on King Charles’ state visit, which will go ahead, saying: “He’s a great guy, and we look forward to it. He’s really a fantastic person and a tremendous representative, and he’s brave.”
A Secret Service agent was shot, but was saved by his bulletproof vest, and Cole was captured before he entered the ballroom where Mr Trump was due to address more than 2,500 guests at the annual event.
The sound of gunfire sent attendees scrambling for cover under tables, while armed agents bundled the president and the first lady, Melania Trump, to safety.
Dramatic footage captured the moment officers stormed the stage where the president was sitting with their guns drawn, before ushering him offstage.
The shooting comes after Mr Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024, in which a bullet grazed his ear before the 20-year-old gunman was shot dead by security personnel.
Just over two months later, Secret Service agents spotted a man wielding a gun in bushes at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while he was on the course.
A magician recounted how he was “in the middle of performing for the president” when the shooting unfolded at around 8.35pm.
Oz Pearlman, a mentalist who was a finalist on America’s Got Talent, described the incident as the “scariest moment of my life” – he thought it was a bomb about to go off or shots being fired.
“We lay on the ground, I was a couple of feet away from President Trump, eyes locked with one another. It was likely the scariest moment of my life and I will never forget it,” he wrote in a post on Instagram.
Within an hour, President Trump had posted on Truth Social. He confirmed that a shooter had been apprehended and shared CCTV footage of the assailant running past security in the hotel’s lobby.
