Attacker wrote ‘manifesto’ before charging press gala, Trump says.

President Donald Trump briefs reporters at the White House after shots were fired during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Trump was rushed from the stage but was unharmed. (Salwan Georges/The New York Times)

By LUKE BROADWATER, MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM, SHAWN McCREESH, TYLER PAGER, DEVLIN BARRETT and MAGGIE HABERMAN

President Donald Trump said Sunday that the gunman who stormed a security perimeter at the White House correspondents’ dinner had written a “manifesto,” as investigators continued to examine his writings and other evidence to piece together the motive for an attack that appeared to be aimed at the president and his top aides.

Shortly before the attack, the suspect sent messages to his relatives denouncing Trump administration policies and suggesting he intended to take violent action, according to a person familiar with the investigation. Other written material found in his hotel room contained similar statements, the person said.

Trump did not offer any details about the document he described as a manifesto in an interview with Fox News, but the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, told NBC that investigators gathering evidence about the suspect “know there were some writings.” He added that a preliminary review of the evidence indicated that members of the administration, “likely including the president,” had been targets.

The suspect, identified by law enforcement officials speaking on condition of anonymity as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was taken into custody after police said he ran through a security checkpoint and exchanged gunfire with authorities inside the Washington Hilton on Saturday night.

Late Saturday night, federal authorities in the Los Angeles suburbs surrounded a two-story home where records show Allen lives. Residents gathered nearby on darkened sidewalks as police helicopters circled overhead and law enforcement vehicles with flashing red and blue lights blocked the street.

The suspect was armed with knives, a shotgun and a handgun, the interim Washington, D.C., police chief, Jeffery W. Carroll, told reporters Saturday night. Blanche said the man had purchased the two firearms he was carrying “within the last couple of years,” and had been staying at the Hilton, where Trump, top administration officials and hundreds of journalists had gathered.

There were no metal detectors set up at the hotel’s entrances, and a secure perimeter was only established closer to the ballroom. But Blanche defended the security at the event, and noted that the suspect did not enter the ballroom.

“The system worked,” said Blanche, who was also at the dinner. “We were safe. President Trump was safe.”

Here’s what else we’re covering:

— The suspect: Investigators have determined that the suspect took a train from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then from Chicago to Washington, Blanche said, and checked into the Washington Hilton a day or two before the dinner.

— Charges: The suspect will face federal firearm and assault charges and is expected to be arraigned in federal court Monday, with more charges possible, said Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. She did not name the suspect.

— Political violence: The attack revived questions about political violence in the United States and about security around Trump, one of the most targeted presidents in history. In 2024, he was grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and rushed to safety months later when a federal agent fired on an armed man at his Florida golf club.

— Ballroom scene: There were no announcements or cries of “get down” in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton on Saturday. Security officials with weapons drawn emerged on the dais as the president and the first lady, Melania Trump, were quickly escorted out.

— Royal visit: Buckingham Palace said in a statement that King Charles III, who is set to begin a state visit to the United States on Monday, had been “kept fully informed of developments.” The king’s visit is expected to take place as scheduled this week, according to officials familiar with the planning. He plans to arrive Monday.