White House Correspondents' dinner shooting - Pics and Videos   NBC - April 26, 2026

Suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old from Torrance, California, a registered guest at the hotel, is in custody after shots fired at White House Correspondents' Dinner Not a fan of Trump's - Allen had written a Manifesto referring to himself as "The Friendly Federal Assassin".   CNN - April 26, 2026

All week long Cole had been aiming screeds at the news outlets in the room, but now he was praising the reporters before him, complimenting their outfits, using a polite tone of voice and thanking them for their work. "You've been very responsible in your coverage. I will say I've been seeing what's been out. You've been very responsible."   NYT - April 26, 2026

Saturday April 25, 2026

After watching the NFL 2026 draft I settled in to watch events that were already underway at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, attended by 2,000 people. . Everything seemed a bit edgy to me as Trump and Melania entered and sat down.

Was the press planning any surprises for Trump? A sharp jab wrapped in humor? I found myself wondering.

The surprise was on everyone as suddenly outside the ballroom shots were fired and chaos ensued.

Who could be better at reporting what was going on than the White House Press many of whom hid under tables as Secret Service and law enforcement flooded the room. It is the job of both reporters and security to maintain the situation and report the news Live on TV and streaming across the world - networks switching scheduled programming to follow unfolding events.

On some level, it looked like a scene from a political thriller or TV series about an assassination attempt on the President of the United States at a public venue.

For those watching at home - live broadcasting continued well into the evening and early morning from inside and outside the Washington Hilton Hotel triggering memories of March 30, 1981. President Reagan had just finished giving a speech and as he exited the hotel, a gunman opened fire striking Reagan and three others. Reagan was seriously wounded but survived after emergency surgery, returning to his presidential duties not long after.

Saturday night a thought came to mind as I watched people being ushered off the dais (stage). There were many political leaders in the same room at the same time - what would happen if they all were killed? It took me back to the 2016 TV series Designated Survivor starring Kiefer Sutherland which aired on ABC then moved to Netflix. Sutherland played Thomas Adam "Tom" Kirkman, the President of the United States, sworn in following an unprecedented attack on the Capitol Building which killed the entire government. He formerly held the office of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. After successfully proving his competency as the head of government, Kirkman is elected for a second term at the end of the third season. I wish the series would have continued a few more seasons.

Most of the news since last night's incident focuses on mass shootings and violence across the world which has become normalized. Some refer to it as "Assassination Culture" where you have grievances coupled with ideological influences in a digital environment that encourages others to normalize violence against perceived enemies.

Many wonder why there was such a breakdown in security - while others believe law enforcement did a great job.

Can mass shootings be stopped? Not in End Times.

Was Trump the target? Probably along with White House officials.

Could Trump have been killed? No he is too important to the closure of the simulation. Also - he will not be impeached meaning the Dems may win back the House but not the Senate.

This event impacted everybody there as well as many watching on TV and other media. Emotionally they learned a lot about themselves, their colleagues, and reality in general.

In the aftermath - the guests' dinners went to local food banks. Washington parties continued in other hotel rooms as well as local locations around DC. The investigation continued.

Jimmy responds to both Melania and Donald Trump saying he should be fired by ABC over a light roast joke he made on the show three days before The White House Correspondents' Dinner, and talks rejecting hateful and violent rhetoric, what unfolded on Saturday after the gunman was captured, RFK Jr. leaving his wife Cheryl Hines in the proverbial dust, an attendee who continued to eat his salad while others were taking cover, newspeople who were at the event reporting on the story in tuxedos and ballgowns, Trump arguing that this is why we need his new ballroom more than ever, Trump sitting down for an interview with 60 Minutes, and in honor of King Charles and Queen Camilla arriving at The White House today we present a special King Charles Edition of Lie Witness News.