Trial over Alleged Trump Assassination Attempt at Correspondents' Dinner Set for September 2027
A US federal judge has set a trial date in September 2027 for a man charged with attempting to kill President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner.
The trial of accused Cole Tomas Allen is scheduled to begin with jury selection on 7 September 2027 in Washington, D.C., and is expected to last approximately three to four weeks.
Prosecutors had recommended starting the trial in May 2027. However, after one of Allen's attorneys asked for more time to prepare, US District Judge Trevor McFadden set the later date.
Allen, of Torrance, California, is accused of storming the WHCA dinner on 25 April this year armed with guns and knives at the Washington Hilton hotel, and firing a shotgun at a Secret Service officer who tried to stop him.
The officer was struck once in a bullet-resistant vest; he fired five shots but did not hit anybody, authorities said. Allen was injured, though not from gunfire.
The attack brought an early end to one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation's capital. President Donald Trump returned to speak at the rescheduled dinner three months later.
In writings he sent to relatives before the attack, Allen railed against Trump administration policies and referred to himself as a "Friendly Federal Assassin," authorities said.
Allen faces an attempted assassination charge that carries a maximum possible sentence of life in prison. He is also charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two additional firearms counts.
