Judge delays trial for man accused of trying to assassinate Trump at WHCA Dinner

Cole Allen injured a secret service agent during attempted assassination attempt that occurred April 25 at the White House Correspondent Dinner.

Published: June 29, 2026 4:47pm

A federal judge on Monday delayed the start of the criminal case against Cole Allen, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last in April.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden approved a joint request from prosecutors and defense attorneys to pause the trial for 45 days because of the large volume of evidence in the case. Federal prosecutors said discovery will include "thousands of pages and gigabytes of data" spanning Allen's alleged activities from California to Washington, D.C.

The events took place at the Washington Hilton during the annual WHCA dinner, at which Allen allegedly tried to assassinate the president and other high-ranking officials in the administration. Allen rushed through security, firing at a Secret Service officer, and was quickly apprehended by law enforcement.

The Secret Service agent shot in the chest was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the shooting and survived the attack.

Allen, who pleaded not guilty last month, faces charges of attempted assassination of the president, assaulting a federal law enforcement officer, and firearm offenses.

McFadden scheduled the next hearing for Aug. 20; they are expected to set a trial date at that time.

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