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Published on: 04/28/2026 - 22:41

Indicted for attempted assassination of Donald Trump during the press gala in Washington, Cole Tomas Allen is at the heart of a storm of disinformation. Internet users claim that he was a member of the Democratic Party, an anti-Christian radical or even close to Hollywood stars. In reality, there is nothing to prove that Allen was part of a party, and his manifesto does not contain any anti-Christian references. As for photos with celebrities, they are generated by AI.

Since the attack during the press correspondents' dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, Cole Tomas Allen's profiles on social networks have been dissected. This 31-year-old video game developer, also a part-time teacher in California, had in fact been named “teacher of the month” in December 2024. But from this first information and verified photos, the disinformation machine was triggered.

The “Viet Spam” trap: celebrities and AI

In a series of photos, we see Cole Tomas Allen posing alongside Meghan Markle, Henry Cavill and Lil Wayne. In most of the photos spotted by our colleagues at LeadStories, he wears an outfit clearly displaying the star's name and a badge, suggesting that he would have been their employee or assistant.

Also read: The Ukrainian ambassador did not steal bottles of alcohol during the attempted attack on Trump

In reality, these images are fakes generated by artificial intelligence. For example, they follow an identical pattern (Cole Allen always on the same side, with the same expression) without taking into account the inconsistencies in scale between the characters.

Even more surprising: these publications come from geolocated accounts in Vietnam. This is the mechanics of “Viet Spam”: using famous faces and hot news stories to generate clicks, and therefore advertising revenue.

An activist with the Democrats?

In the pro-Trump sphere, several commentators claim that the suspect would be a radical Democratic activist. They are basing this on a donation of $25 that would have been made to Kamala Harris' campaign in 2024.

If this donation is genuine (election financing records are public in the United States), the person concerned did not declare any partisan preference when registering to vote. If this would still allow him to vote in his state of residence of California, there is nothing to confirm that he was a registered member of the party nor that he actually voted for Kamala Harris.

See also Shootings at the press gala: the history of American presidents repeats itself

A text of 1,052 words far from “anti-Christian hatred”

As for the motivations behind the suspect's act, Donald Trump claimed that his manifesto sent to his family minutes before the attack was full of anti-Christian references. However, the analysis of this document of more than 1,000 words in no way proves these statements.

Cole Allen, who was a member of a Christian student association according to AP, thanks the Church in his text. He also quotes Jesus twice to explain his act. In response to the precept to “turn the other cheek,” he writes: “Turning the other cheek when someone else is oppressed is not Christian behavior, it is complicity in the crimes of the oppressor.”

Rather than a hatred of religion, his writings reveal a deep hatred towards Donald Trump, whom he compares to Hitler and accuses of criminal links in the Epstein affair.

See alsoShooting at the Correspondents' Dinner: an attack staged by the White House?

According to analysis of his social networks by CNN, Cole Tomas Allen went from an account dedicated to video games in 2022, to ultra-violent political rhetoric in 2024. He was also one of those who described the assassination attempt against Trump in Pennsylvania as staged.

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