The armed man accused of opening fire at the Washington Hilton hotel on the night of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.
The Justice Department formally charged Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old California teacher, on Monday. In court, Allen “appeared calm and quietly answered prompts from the judge, who told him he faced up to life in prison if convicted,” according to the New York Times.
Allen is accused of charging through a magnetometer while armed in an attempt to breach the ballroom – where the event was being held – to target Trump and administration officials, per his own missive.
In his alleged manifesto, which was provided to his family, Allen made it clear that he was targeting Trump as well as administration officials.
“Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,” the manifesto reads.
The manifesto also states that he would “still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose* to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Video shows the moment the suspect ran through the Washington Hilton and authorities stepped into action.
Allen also allegedly shot a Secret Service member in the chest, but the agent was wearing a bulletproof vest. Following the chilling incident, Trump said the agent was doing “great.”
RELATED – Trump Rushed from White House Correspondents’ Dinner After Reported Shooting
During a press conference held shortly after the assassination attempt, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the coming charges would be “self-evident, given the conduct.”
“But as you’ll hear, there will be multiple charges around the shooting, around the possession of firearms, and anything else that we can get on this guy,” Blanche warned.
During that same press conference, Trump addressed why he believes the assassination attempts have continued.
“They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much, because they like it that way,” the commander in chief said. “And when you look at the people that have either, whether it was an attempt or a successful attempt, they’re very impactful people. Just take a look at the names there, the big names. And I hate to say I’m honored by that.”
As America remembers all too well, Trump survived another assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 2024. The shots rang out during a campaign speech, with the bullet nicking his ear and narrowly missing his skull as Trump turned his head.
“I turned to the right to look at the chart, and I said, ‘Wow. What was that? What was that?’ So, you never know, but God did that. I mean, it had to be,” Trump said during the National Prayer Breakfast last year.
“Honestly, it changed … something in me,” Trump continued. “I feel even stronger. I believed in God, but I feel much more strongly about it; something happened.”
Right after being sworn into office last year, Trump told the American people that he was “saved by God to Make America Great Again.”
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