The gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner had his sights on Trump administration officials, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche told NBC’s Meet the Press that officials believe the suspect, identified by reports as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, took a train from his native California to Chicago and then to Washington D.C., where he checked into the Washington Hilton, the venue for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“We believe the suspect was targeting administration officials,” Blanche said.
Law enforcement officials pieced together the first clues to his motive by reviewing the gunman’s electronic devices and writings, sources told the Associated Press.
The gunman attempted to charge into the ballroom at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night in a chaotic scene that resulted in five to eight shots being fired, sources told CBS News. President Donald Trump and the first lady were escorted out of the ballroom along with Vice President JD Vance and other top administration officials.
Jeff Carroll, interim chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives.
Allen will be charged with one count each of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
“This individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said.
Trump shared a photo on Truth Social of the shirtless suspect with his hands restrained behind his back.
In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Blanche said the suspect was not cooperating with law enforcement officials.
“We are not viewing him as cooperating right now,” Blanche said.
Allen donated $25 to ActBlue, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates, according to the Federal Election Commission. The contribution was designated for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.
Allen graduated from CalTech in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also earned a master’s degree in computer science at Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2025, the Los Angeles Times reported.
He was named the teacher of the month in December 2024 at C2 Education, a service for college test preparation, tutoring and academic advising.
Dylan Wakayama, president of the Asian American Civic Trust, said Allen tutored high school students in the organization.
“They thought he was very intelligent, proficient in biology, mathematics and science. They thought he was on the nicer, quiet side,” Wakayama told the Los Angeles Times.
“They were completely shocked when I told them that this all went down.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
