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What acting AG Todd Blanche said about bullets after White House correspondents' dinner shooting

Rumors claiming the shooting was staged flooded social media. We investigated these claims that users cited as evidence.

by Taija PerryCook, April 28, 2026


This image shows Armed Secret Service agents stand on stage during a shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 25, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Image courtesy of Photo courtesy of Andrew Harnik, accessed via Getty Images.


On the evening of April 25, 2026, shots rang out at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner attended by U.S. President Donald Trump and other high-level officials. The Secret Service rushed the president to safety as guests ducked under tables. Agents apprehended an armed man who authorities identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a part-time teacher from California.

Rumors about the shooting quickly began to spread online, including that it was a staged performance, as supposedly evidenced by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying before the dinner that there would be "shots fired" and a widely circulated image of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth smiling as he left a news conference that night. Another image with dubious origins, allegedly showing the suspected shooter in an Israeli military sweatshirt, circulated online following the shooting.

As of this writing, there is no credible evidence that the attack on the dinner was staged.

Below are 13 claims related to the shooting that Snopes has investigated:


By Taija PerryCook

Taija PerryCook is a Seattle-based journalist who previously worked for the PNW news site Crosscut and the Jordan Times in Amman.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, a white woman with blonde hair, wears a sparkly black dress and appears to be speaking to someone during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on April 25, 2026.

Did Leavitt say there would be 'shots fired' before White House correspondents' dinner shooting?

April 26, 2026

The phrase is a common figure of speech that refers to someone making jokes or jabs at another p ...

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A shotgun allegedly used by Cole Tomas Allen, the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting suspect, is seen before Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and others conducted a news conference at the Department of Justice, on Monday, April 27, 2026.

Did suspect in shooting at White House correspondents' dinner fire his weapon? What we know

April 28, 2026

An affidavit from an FBI officer didn't explicitly claim Cole Allen fired his weapon when he all ...

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Image of man claimed to be Cole Allen. He is wearing a navy blue sweater with the IDF emblem on it. He's sitting in a chair and holding a silver drink can, while his other hand is posed with two fingers up. He's wearing green-brown sweatpants. The background is a fairly barebones apartment with a few things scattered about

Does image show White House correspondents' dinner shooting suspect wearing IDF sweatshirt? What we know

April 26, 2026

Many people shared the image as evidence the accused attacker had a connection to the Israeli mi ...

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A photo shows the suspected White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooter Cole Tomas Allen, a Black man wearing a black shirt and trousers with a red tie, in a mirror selfie.

Selfie shows suspected White House correspondents' dinner gunman shortly before shooting

April 30, 2026

Prosecutors say the shooting suspect took a photo of himself in a hotel mirror before he tried t ...

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Two FBI agents backlit by red and blue police lights walking down a road at night.

Is White House correspondents' dinner shooting suspect registered Democrat who donated to Harris?

April 27, 2026

Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, is accused of attempting to assassinate U.S. President ...

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An illustration shows a photograph of Donald Trump's face as he speaks. The image includes an X post by Henry Martinez from Dec. 21, 2023, that reads "Cole Allen."

Real 2023 X post with name 'Cole Allen' circulates after White House correspondents' dinner shooting

April 29, 2026

It's unclear why the account made the post or whether it has any connection to the shooting suspect.

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Image shows phone with a Truth Social post against a background of a scene from the White House Correspondents' Association dinner

These conservative accounts posted about White House ballroom after correspondents' dinner shooting

April 29, 2026

A variety of conservative commentators posted about the need for a ballroom after the alleged as ...

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Image shows armed Secret Service agents standing on stage during a shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner.

Unpacking claim Fox News cut off reporter saying White House Correspondents' dinner shooting was staged

April 28, 2026

The reporter said she was seated with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s husband, wh ...

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An image shows a yellow circle around a man users believed to be US President Donald Trump standing backstage following the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in April 2026, including the man behind the curtain wearing a bow suit and bow tie, as well as Stephen Miller and pregnant wife Katie Miller visible in the foreground as they evacuate the ballroom.

Does photo show Trump standing behind curtain after White House correspondents' dinner shooting?

May 1, 2026

Social media users claimed the picture proved the Trump administration staged the shooting.

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Beware of claim Usha Vance appeared in 2017 video with White House correspondents' dinner shooting suspect

April 27, 2026

We found the woman who actually appears in the video.

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Image shows a collage of Facebook posts with AI-generated imagery placing the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting suspect alongside a number of celebrities.

Did White House correspondents' dinner shooting suspect work as driver for Savannah Guthrie?

April 28, 2026

Facebook posts claimed Cole Allen drove for dozens of stars besides Guthrie, like Tom Hanks, Tom ...

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the 2026 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner held at the Washington Hilton on April 25, 2026 in Washington, D.C.

Photo shows Pete Hegseth smiling after shooting at White House correspondents' dinner

April 27, 2026

A Reuters photographer snapped the defense secretary as he left a news conference about the shoo ...

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What acting AG Todd Blanche said about bullets after White House correspondents' dinner shooting

April 28, 2026

Posts claimed Blanche said that "sometimes you find the bullet and sometimes it just disappears. ...

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