Create account

Ongoing story / White House Correspondents' Dinner

The 2026 correspondents' dinner shooting and the attempted assassination charge

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

On April 25, 2026, an armed man rushed a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement, and President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other officials were evacuated unhurt.[1][2][3] The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump and with firing a shotgun at a Secret Service officer, and he has pleaded not guilty.[4][5][6] The dinner, Trump's first as president, was held again in July.[7][8]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump and with firing a shotgun at a Secret Service officer, and he has pleaded not guilty.[4][5][6] The dinner, Trump's first as president, was held again in July.[7][8]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-04-20 (UTC): 39%, 62 of 157 tracked outlets (21 left, 22 center, 19 right)Week of 2026-04-27 (UTC): 19%, 31 of 160 tracked outlets (10 left, 13 center, 8 right)Week of 2026-05-04 (UTC): 4%, 7 of 175 tracked outlets (0 left, 7 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-05-11 (UTC): 17%, 30 of 176 tracked outlets (7 left, 15 center, 8 right)Week of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): 12%, 22 of 186 tracked outlets (6 left, 12 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-13 (UTC): under 1%, 1 of 559 tracked outlets (0 left, 0 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-07-20 (UTC): 12%, 69 of 562 tracked outlets (16 left, 32 center, 21 right)Week of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): 3%, 13 of 473 tracked outlets (2 left, 9 center, 2 right), so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 10 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (8 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 9, 2026 (so far)29213 of 4733%
Jul 20, 202616322169 of 56212%
Jul 13, 20260011 of 559under 1%
Jun 1, 2026612422 of 18612%
May 11, 2026715830 of 17617%
May 4, 20260707 of 1754%
Apr 27, 20261013831 of 16019%
Apr 20, 202621221962 of 15739%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 13, 2026 · first reported · Headline from WKBN Youngstown

    Man accused in WHCA dinner shooting faces new terrorism charge

Background

Trump had planned for the first time as president to attend the annual dinner, which critics questioned given his battles with the press.[7] On the night of the dinner, the gunman, carrying guns and knives, tried to storm the ballroom,[9] and Trump, Vance, first lady Melania Trump and others were evacuated from the head table.[3] Investigators said Allen had written about targeting administration officials, and his family had raised concerns with law enforcement beforehand.[9] The 2024 attempts on Trump's life are followed in their own arc.

In May a added a charge that Allen had fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer,[5] and he pleaded not guilty to attempting to kill the president.[6] The association rescheduled the dinner for July 24,[10] and Trump returned for it, delivering a rambling, hour-long speech.[11][8]

Supporting stories (11)
  1. Reporters covered the correspondents’ dinner shooting in real time. Conspiracy theories still spread
  2. Trump evacuated from White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shots fired
  3. Suspect in White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting wrote of targeting Trump administration
  4. Accused WH correspondents’ dinner attacker is tutor and computer programmer from California
  5. Man charged in White House correspondents’ dinner attack is indicted on new assault count
  6. White House correspondents' dinner suspect pleads not guilty
  7. Trump set to attend his first White House Correspondents' Dinner as president
  8. 'The show must go on,' Trump says in rambling speech at rescheduled correspondents' dinner
  9. Man charged with attempted assassination of Trump in White House correspondents' dinner shooting
  10. White House correspondents' dinner rescheduled for July 24
  11. Rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner will have tighter security, fewer guests

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 12 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Man accused in WHCA dinner shooting faces new terrorism chargeHeadline from The Hill · 13 outlets

July 2026

  1. 'The show must go on,' Trump says in rambling speech at rescheduled correspondents' dinnerHeadline from WLTX Columbia · 74 outlets
  2. Rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner will have tighter security, fewer guestsHeadline from CBS News · 16 outlets

June 2026

  1. White House correspondents' dinner rescheduled for July 24Headline from ABC 13 Houston · 27 outlets

May 2026

  1. White House correspondents' dinner suspect pleads not guiltyHeadline from ABC 7 Chicago · 34 outlets
  2. Man charged in White House correspondents’ dinner attack is indicted on new assault countHeadline from The Columbian · 7 outlets

April 2026

  1. Reporters covered the correspondents’ dinner shooting in real time. Conspiracy theories still spreadHeadline from Seattle Times · 19 outlets
  2. Accused WH correspondents’ dinner attacker is tutor and computer programmer from CaliforniaHeadline from Kokomo Tribune · 6 outlets
  3. Trump evacuated from White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shots firedHeadline from Government Executive · 46 outlets
  4. Suspect in White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting wrote of targeting Trump administrationHeadline from NBC10 Philadelphia · 27 outlets
  5. Man charged with attempted assassination of Trump in White House correspondents' dinner shootingHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 31 outlets
  6. Trump set to attend his first White House Correspondents' Dinner as presidentHeadline from NBC News · 18 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →