White House dinner suspect wrote anti-Trump note before shooting, NBC says

A note sent to family members about 10 minutes before the attack said Cole Tomas Allen believed it was his duty to target Trump administration officials, a chilling detail now central to the investigation into the shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton.

Allen, 31, lives in Torrance, California. NBC News reported that he rushed a security checkpoint armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives before exchanging gunfire with law enforcement near the packed ballroom in Washington, D.C., where President Donald Trump and other White House officials were gathered with journalists. In the note, Allen apologized to his parents, colleagues, students, bystanders and others, and wrote that he expected lax security at the hotel.

The writings also named specific targets. Allen described his “expected rules of engagement” and listed “Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel)” as targets. He also wrote, “I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.” NBC News reported that the note suggested Allen had been motivated by rage at the Trump administration. Allen’s brother contacted police in New London, Connecticut, after receiving the message.

The shooting took place near the main magnetometer screening area, according to ABC News. A Secret Service agent wearing an armored vest was struck in the chest and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. No one else was injured. White House Correspondents’ Association president Weijia Jiang called the attack “a harrowing moment” and thanked the Secret Service and other law enforcement, saying everyone in attendance was unharmed, including the president, first lady Melania Trump and vice president JD Vance.

CBS News reported that investigators found writings in Allen’s hotel room and were reviewing a manifesto recovered at the Washington Hilton. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the suspect was expected to face two charges, with more possible, and preliminary findings indicated the target was administration officials. Trump and members of his administration were evacuated, and Trump later said the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.

The episode cut through a night that had already been politically loaded. The 2026 dinner at the Washington Hilton was the first White House Correspondents’ dinner Trump had attended during his presidencies. The White House Correspondents’ Association, founded in 1914 to represent the White House press corps, said its 2025 dinner at the same venue drew about 2,600 attendees.