President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at a press conference in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2026 after a shooting took place at the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner. (Andrew Leyden / Getty Images)
By C. Douglas Golden April 26, 2026 at 3:45am
In the face of what could have been the third serious attempt on his life since the 2024 election process began, President Donald Trump told the media why he thinks assassins keep on wanting to take his life: They want “the people that make the biggest impact.”
Trump made the remarks during a question-and-answer session at the White House Saturday night after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton ended with a law enforcement officer shot and a potential attempted assassin in custody.
According to The Associated Press, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California has been taken into custody in the shooting and has been charged with two charges, one of using a firearm in the course of a crime and another involving assaulting a law enforcement officer with a weapon.
WATCH: President Trump evacuated from the WH Correspondents’ Dinner following loud noises, security concerns: pic.twitter.com/kJUJZ83N9U
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) April 26, 2026
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said more charges could be filed later.
Security footage showed what was allegedly Allen, who police say was heavily armed, sprinting past Secret Service at the hotel where the event was taking place. Pictures later showed him being taken into custody.
President Trump just posted video of Secret Service shooting at attempted assassin from the White House Correspondents’ dinner, allegedly Cole Allen, and photos of him. https://t.co/HKykZwT3Fe pic.twitter.com/UvJBIs3gsg
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) April 26, 2026
A law enforcement officer was hit in his bulletproof vest and is expected to be OK.
Trump wanted to continue the event, but was escorted back to the White House by the Secret Service. There, he gave a media briefing, where the two previous attempts on his life were mentioned by Fox News’ Peter Doocy.
“Respectfully, why do you think this keeps happening to you?” Doocy asked.
“Well, you know, I’ve studied assassinations,” Trump said.
“And, I must tell you, the most impactful people are — the people who do the most, you look at Abraham Lincoln, you go through the people that have gone through this, where they got them — the people who do the most, the people that make the biggest impact, they’re the ones they go after.
.@pdoocy: Why does this keep happening to you? @POTUS: “I’ve studied assassinations…The people that make the biggest impact, they’re the ones that they go after.” pic.twitter.com/ESVTpfSXQK
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) April 26, 2026
It’s still unclear what the motive of the alleged shooter was, although uncovered information about his donation history and political activism seems to link him to left-wing and anti-Trump causes.
In July of 2024, Trump was wounded in the ear by Thomas Crooks, who was subsequently shot and killed by Secret Service snipers, in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Just two months later, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, a pro-Ukraine activist, was discovered by Secret Service attempting to get a shot at the then-candidate at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, with a sniper rifle. He was found guilty of attempted assassination and sentenced to life in prison earlier this year.
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