Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California, has been charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump. The indictment lists three federal counts: attempted assassination, use of a firearm in a violent crime, and transporting weapons across state lines with intent to commit a crime. If convicted - life in prison.

The incident took place on April 26, 2026, at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel. Allen entered through a service entrance where security was lighter. He was armed with a rifle, a pistol and several knives. He fired - one security officer was hit but survived thanks to a vest. Trump was immediately evacuated, unharmed.

In messages to family members before the incident, Allen called Trump a "traitor." Prosecutor Joselin Balantin put it bluntly: "He tried to kill the President of the United States."

Trump called this the "third attack" on him since he took office in 2024. Vice President Vance, ministers Hegseth and Rubio were all present at the dinner - everyone forced to dive under tables.

This is the third assassination attempt on Trump. The pattern is unprecedented in American history - and it raises hard questions about security protocols, about the state of the political climate in the US, and about where verbal hatred ends and action begins.