Overview
- Prosecutors say Cole Tomas Allen fired at a Secret Service agent and broke through a checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25, forcing an evacuation and ending the event early.
- President Trump returned to the Washington Hilton on June 26 to speak at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference and referenced the April incident in his remarks.
- The U.S. Secret Service says its layered plan stopped the April threat and that it is reviewing security, yet some attendees reported that visible measures like external screening and room rental controls stayed similar to April.
- Allen has been charged by federal prosecutors with attempting to assassinate the president and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, he has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody.
- The incident has prompted the White House Correspondents’ Association to reschedule a smaller dinner for late July and could reshape how hotels, news organizations and protectees manage access and screening for high-profile events.