Judge sets September 2027 trial for man charged in White House dinner attack

A federal judge on Thursday set a September 2027 trial date for Cole Tomas Allen, the man charged with attempting to kill President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner earlier this year ¹².

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Sept. 7 in Washington, D.C., and the trial is expected to last approximately three to four weeks, according to ABC News and KSL.com ¹².

Prosecutors had recommended starting the trial in May 2027, but U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden set the later date after one of Allen's attorneys asked for more time to prepare ¹².

What Allen is accused of

Allen, of Torrance, California, is accused of storming the dinner while armed with guns and knives and firing a shotgun at a Secret Service officer who tried to stop the April 25, 2026, attack at the Washington Hilton hotel ¹².

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The officer, who was struck once in a bullet-resistant vest, fired five shots but didn't hit anybody, authorities said. Allen was injured but not from gunfire ¹².

The attack led to an early end to one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation's capital. President Donald Trump returned to speak at the rescheduled dinner three months later ¹².

In writings that he sent to relatives before the attack, Allen railed against Trump administration policies and referred to himself as a "Friendly Federal Assassin," authorities said ¹².

The charges

Allen faces an attempted assassination charge that carries a maximum possible sentence of life in prison. He also is charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two additional firearms counts ¹².

The case is before McFadden, a federal district judge in Washington. The trial schedule means the matter will not go to a jury until well after next week's midterm election and into the next presidential campaign cycle ¹².

That matters because the prosecution of a charge of attempting to kill a sitting president is one of the most closely watched tests of how the federal courts handle political violence. The judge's decision to grant the defense more preparation time pushes the public reckoning past the 2026 election and into 2027 ¹².

The Record

1. Apr 25, 2026Authorities say Allen attacked the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel, firing a shotgun at a Secret Service officer ¹².
2. Oct 29, 2026U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden set jury selection for Sept. 7, 2027, after prosecutors recommended a May 2027 start and a defense attorney asked for more time ¹².

Sources

1. ABC News, “Trial date set for man charged with attacking White House correspondents’ dinner” (2026-10-29). abcnews.com/US/wireStory/september-2027-trial-date-set-man-c
2. ksl.com, “September 2027 trial date set for charged White House correspondents' dinner attacker | KSL.com” (2026-10-29). ksl.com/article/51642326/september-2027-trial-date-set-for-c

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