Trump dinner shooting was targeting administration officials, authorities believe 

Published April 26, 2026 8:45am ET | Updated April 26, 2026 12:35pm ET



Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday said the man set to be charged with attacking the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration.

“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 in comments on the suspect, who has widely been identified as Cole Thomas Allen, 31, of California.

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