A teacher has been accused of trying to shoot at the White House Correspondents Dinner with the intention of targeting members of the Trump administration. Prior to the incident, Cole Allen, a 31-year-old Caltech graduate from California, had posted numerous anti-Trump messages on social media.
Interestingly, it appears he favored the alternative platform Blue Sky over X, using it to express some troubling views and labeling Elon Musk as a “Hitler figure.”
His social media handle was “Coldforce,” the same name attached to a manifesto obtained prior to the attack.
In over 1,000 posts, Allen voiced his criticisms of the Trump administration, seemingly becoming more vocal as U.S. support for Ukraine began to lessen. He took issue with Vice President J.D. Vance’s remarks about reducing aid to Ukraine, calling them “shithole.”
Additionally, Allen utilized his platform to raise funds for Ukrainian brigades and students in need. He characterized President Trump as a “social mob boss,” largely referencing information from the Epstein files.
After a temporary cease-fire was announced between the U.S. and Iran, Allen asserted that it was merely a sign of surrender—a claim he believed Trump eagerly accepted.
Stay informed with the latest on the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Before Allen made it to the Washington Hilton ballroom, he was intercepted by federal law enforcement and the Secret Service.
He expressed strong feelings about Trump, stating, “Trump is literally one of the villains who will join your team if you hit him hard enough.” It seems he doubted the feasibility of confronting Trump due to political dynamics.
Frustration seemed to bubble over when Trump shared an AI-generated photo of himself as Jesus Christ. Allen described himself as a Protestant Christian and criticized what he viewed as Christian hypocrisy within the Trump administration, suggesting many believers were, in a sense, “idolaters of the devil.”
In a repost, he questioned whether one could truly be a “real Christian” while supporting Trump, stating that if they didn’t understand the implications of Trump’s actions, perhaps “deep down you still don’t understand that you’re shit.”
His beliefs were further detailed in a manifesto sent to friends and family before the attack. Allen reflected on forgiveness from a Christian perspective, claiming the administration was beyond the point of salvation.
He articulated a view against turning the other cheek in situations of oppression, insisting that doing so for others’ suffering was complicity.
Before shutting down his Blue Sky account, his last pinned post featured an animated GIF of someone kneeling and apologizing. His manifesto began with an acknowledgment of harm caused to others.
Allen is set to face formal charges related to the attempted shooting and allegedly assaulting a federal officer in a court appearance scheduled for Monday, as stated by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia.
