Cole Allen pleads not guilty to trying to assassinate Trump at White House correspondents' dinner

The man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump at the White House correspondents' dinner has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Cole Allen allegedly ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer at the event on 25 April.

He was charged with the attempted assassination of the president, assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two other firearms counts.

Mr Trump, first lady Melania Trump and senior officials including the defence secretary, secretary of state and vice president were in attendance.

They were quickly evacuated after gunshots were heard outside the Washington Hilton ballroom, where around 2,500 people had gathered.

Guests at the dinner, made up largely of journalists, also ducked under tables.

The 31-year-old, from California, was handcuffed and shackled at Monday's hearing but did not speak and his lawyer entered the pleas for him.

His lawyer also asked for acting attorney general Todd Blanche and US attorney Jeanine Pirro to be recused from direct involvement in the case as they were both at the dinner.

Allen's previous court appearance heard the gunman's shots missed the Secret Service officer, who returned fire five times.

However, the officer's Kevlar vest did take a bullet - which may have come from a colleague.

The alleged attacker also had knives and a pistol on him when he was arrested. He's said to have told FBI agents that he didn't expect to survive the incident.

Allen will appear in court again on 29 June and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

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Last month's incident appears to be the third attempt on the president's life.

Ryan Routh was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year after trying to kill Mr Trump on a Florida golf course in September 2024.

The Secret Service was heavily criticised for the first attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, when a gunman was able to get on a roof with a clear sight of the president during a speech.

(c) Sky News 2026: Cole Allen pleads not guilty to trying to assassinate Trump at White House correspondents' dinner