WASHINGTON — The gunman who opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night has been identified as Cole Allen of Torrance, Calif. — with President Trump calling him a likely “lone wolf whack job” who “looked pretty evil.”

The 31-year-old, whom a federal law enforcement source confirmed is a teacher, was arrested after allegedly entering the Washington Hilton hotel and charging toward the ballroom where Trump and roughly 2,500 guests had assembled.

The gunfire broke out near the event’s indoor security screening area just after 8:30 p.m. — as salad was being served. The Secret Service rushed Trump out of the room as members of his cabinet ducked under tables before they too were evacuated.

Dramatic video posted on social media by Trump shows Allen opening fire and rushing toward the ballroom. A law enforcement officer was shot, with the bullet hitting his bulletproof vest.

“He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives as he ran into that checkpoint,” DC police chief Jeffrey Carroll said.

“At this point it does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll said. “There does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public.”

Trump hosted a press conference at the White House shortly after the incident, joined by first lady Melania Trump, who appeared on the verge of tears when her husband mentioned prior assassination attempts.

“There was a tremendous amount of love and coming together I watched,” the president said. “I was very, very impressed by that.”

Trump revealed that he heard the gunshots, but was not immediately aware of the danger.

“I heard a noise, and thought it was a tray going down,” he said. “We heard that noise, and it was either a tray or a bullet. I was hoping it was a tray.”

A shirtless man lies face down on a patterned carpet with his hands cuffed behind his back, while three security officers in black uniforms stand over him.
The president vowed to headline a new, rescheduled correspondents dinner within 30 days and to rework his prepared remarks, in which he said he had been prepared to rip into reporters.

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Trump praised White House Correspondents’ Association president Weijia Jiang of CBS News, with whom he sat on stage, for her leadership, prompting the briefing room to erupt in applause.

“I fought like hell to stay,” Trump said. “They said, ‘Please, sir,’ because they didn’t know … there was a lot of action going on, and they didn’t know.”

Trump said Allen “was fast — he was running full blast” and “charged from 50 yards away.”

The president said that he doesn’t believe the attack was linked to the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran.

“It’s not going to deter me from winning the war In Iran. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it. I really don’t think so, based on what we know,” Trump said.

He also vowed to continue his hard-charging political style.

“A lot of other people, you know, you read stories when they become basket cases, to be honest with you. I’m not a basket case,” Trump said.

“I want to live because I want to make this country great. That’s why I want to live. When you’re impactful, they go after you.”

The president declined to answer a question about how weapons were smuggled inside the hotel.

Guests had to pass an outer security perimeter, where they were required to show either a ticket or an invitation to a pre-party. There was no screening for weapons except for immediately before the ballroom.

A witness told The Post that the suspect appeared to emerge from a “makeshift room” near the entrance where bar carts were being stored and where “there was no security” at the time.

“He was in that room […] he grabbed it out of a bag or something,” said witness Helen Mabus, a volunteer working the event, adding that the weapon “was long” and “didn’t look like a typical gun.”

Witnesses described a frantic scene inside the venue after between four and eight shots were fired.

Attendees dove under tables as confusion spread when a phalanx of armed Secret Service agents thundered down the central aisle.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who was sitting with the Washington Post, was stepped on by a Secret Service agent, a witness told The Post’s Miranda Device. Dhillon confirmed that she suffered a “facial bruise” during the mayhem.

An elderly man in attendance also appeared to be injured and limped out of the ballroom with assistance.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was sitting with The Post about 40 feet from the president, said shortly afterwards that “I was hoping the room hadn’t been breached.”

“There were a lot of high value targets in the room,” Bessent said. “The president and vice president were both up on stage.”

He also noted that the same hotel was “where Reagan got shot” in 1981 by John Hinckley Jr.

Law enforcement officers surround a shirtless individual lying on stairs under a yellow "DO NOT CROSS" tape.
It was not clear in the immediate aftermath of the incident what had occurred.

Trump praised law enforcement for acting quickly as he revealed what happened on social media.

“Quite an evening in DC Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, where he posted a photo of the suspect.

“The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON,’ but will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement,” he added.

Cole Allen, the White House Correspondents Dinner 2026 shooter.
Witnesses described a frantic scene inside the venue after seven to eight shots were fired.C2 Education/Facebook

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Law enforcement will soon search the suspect’s Torrance residence, according to the president, and are “asking him a lot of questions.”