Story perspectives

FBI Releases White House Dinner Shooter Video; Trump Pardons Giuliani

5/4/2026

Summary

Story summary

FBI released video showing the gunman sprinting through a checkpoint and firing at a Secret Service officer during the April 25 White House Correspondents’ dinner.
President Donald Trump said the shooting calls for a larger White House ballroom, pardoned Rudy Giuliani, and posted that Giuliani’s condition results from “Radical Left Lunatics” while accusing Democrats of election cheating.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, faces attempted-assassination charges after the April 25 incident.

History

Historical Context

1975 saw two near-assassinations of President Gerald Ford—Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme’s September 5 attempt with a Colt .45 holding four cartridges, and Sara Jane Moore’s attack 17 days later—prompting the Secret Service to increase distance from crowds. The April 25 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting by Cole Tomas Allen, targeting a Secret Service officer, echoes those historic security gaps.

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Story summary

FBI released video showing the gunman sprinting through a checkpoint and firing at a Secret Service officer during the April 25 White House Correspondents’ dinner.
President Donald Trump said the shooting calls for a larger White House ballroom, pardoned Rudy Giuliani, and posted that Giuliani’s condition results from “Radical Left Lunatics” while accusing Democrats of election cheating.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, faces attempted-assassination charges after the April 25 incident.

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