The acting head of the US Justice Department has said that officials believe the gunman involved in the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting was targeting members of the Trump administration, including possibly President Donald Trump himself.
Authorities are still assessing how specific the suspect’s alleged targets were, with investigators examining whether his grievances were directed personally at Trump and Vice President JD Vance or reflected broader hostility toward the administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
Allen is believed to have travelled by train from California to Chicago and then to Washington, where he checked into the hotel hosting the gala dinner days earlier, officials said. He is suspected of acting alone and is expected to face criminal charges on Monday.
Law enforcement officials, who have reviewed electronic devices, writings and interviewed relatives, said preliminary findings suggest he intended to target administration officials attending the dinner. He attempted to enter the ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled, leading to a chaotic scene in which shots were fired, Trump was escorted offstage unharmed and guests took cover.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
According to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation, the suspect—identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen—sent writings to family members minutes before the attack, referring to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and expressing hostility toward Trump administration policies.
The writings reportedly included repeated references to Trump and grievances over various government actions, including recent US operations against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the eastern Pacific.
Investigators are also examining a series of anti-Trump social media posts and other digital material believed to be linked to Allen.
Authorities said Allen legally purchased multiple firearms in California, including a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol in 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun in 2025. His sister told investigators he had previously made radical statements, according to officials.