Conspiracy theories surge after WHCA dinner attack
Fox News’ John Roberts and Gillian Turner examine the proliferation of conspiracy theories after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attack on Saturday night. Justice correspondent David Spunt updates on Cole Allen’s three federal charges, including firearm transportation and discharge of a firearm. The incident, deemed an attempted assassination by the U.S. Attorney for D.C., has sparked debate on media influence and political violence, with some questioning its authenticity.
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After a gunman allegedly attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, online conspiracy theories about the event spiked, according to a Washington Post analysis.
Cole Allen, 31, is in federal custody and has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, transporting a firearm across state lines and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence after he allegedly charged a Secret Service checkpoint outside the room at the Washington Hilton Hotel where the dinner was being held.
President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, First Lady Melania Trump, Second Lady Usha Vance and members of the Trump administration Cabinet had settled in for the evening just minutes before Allen’s alleged attack.
President Donald Trump posted a photo on social media showing law enforcement detaining Cole Thomas Allen following a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026. (US President Trump via Truth Social/Anadolu/Getty Images)
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The Washington Post’s analysis says that one in five posts by “left-wing and liberal influencers and politicians” in the immediate aftermath of the attack claims that it was staged, a hoax or a “false flag.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, was perhaps the largest name among the conspiracy theorists, calling the incident “fake.”
Other far-left influencers online made similar suggestions.
President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the White House Brady Briefing Room on April 25, 2026, after the cancellation of the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner following a possible shooting. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
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Morgan J. Freeman, a Hollywood director and producer — not to be confused with actor Morgan Freeman — simply wrote the word “STAGED” in all capital letters 132 times in a single X post Sunday afternoon. The post received 58,000 likes, was shared 9,400 times and was viewed 1.3 million times.
The prevailing sentiment among conspiracy posters is that the alleged assassination attempt would benefit the 47th president politically.
A photo of Cole Allen in a graduation gown and cap from 2025. (Cole Allen/LinkedIn)
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“Anyone who thinks President Trump staged his own assassination attempts is a complete moron,” Trump spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital.
Allen was a Democratic activist who attended at least one “No Kings” protest, and once donated $25 to ActBlue, the progressive digital fundraising platform, which was earmarked for Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential bid.
A shotgun used by Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting, is displayed before Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and others held a news conference at the Department of Justice on April 27, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc)
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He sent communication to a family member before the alleged attack, according to authorities, rationalizing what he acknowledged was a mission that would likely severely harm or kill him.
He allegedly said his motivations were political, and painted himself as a savior of the oppressed. At points, officials said, he also noted that there were certain people he hoped wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire.
Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett’s office.