Former President Barack Obama faced sharp criticism Sunday after stating the motive behind the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) remained uncertain, despite reports of a detailed manifesto from the suspected gunman, the Daily Mail reports.
The document that Obama ignored when making comments about the WHCD shooting, first obtained by the New York Post, reportedly outlined how 31-year-old suspect Cole Tomas Allen intended to target members of the Trump administration during the high-profile event.
“Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I’m not the person raped in a detention camp. I’m not the fisherman executed without trial,” the manifesto allegedly stated. “I’m not a schoolkid blown up or a child starved or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration. Turning the other cheek when someone else is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes,” it continued.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump shares images of a man being detained after shots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. pic.twitter.com/hdCXGqeLUJ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 26, 2026
In another passage, Allen allegedly wrote: “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” Despite the emergence of the writings, Obama said hours later that the full motive was still not known.
“Although we don’t yet have the details about the motives behind last night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, it’s incumbent upon us all to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy,” Obama posted on X Sunday evening.
“It’s also a sobering reminder of the courage and the sacrifice that US Secret Service Agents show every day. I’m grateful to them – and thankful that the agent who was shot is going to be OK.”
His remarks quickly sparked backlash from several Republican figures and officials, who argued the motive was already evident.
Ex-President Barack Obama claims ‘we don’t know’ WHCD gunman’s motives – despite raving anti-Trump manifesto https://t.co/3enqT9sIq1 pic.twitter.com/1vpH4YY9iq
— New York Post (@nypost) April 27, 2026
“There is no ambiguity. It was a politically motivated attack driven by anti-Trump and anti-Christian bile. It’s wrong to downplay or obscure the obvious motive,” said former Department of Homeland Security spokesman Tricia McLaughlin.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin also criticized the former president, writing: “Let’s not pretend to be this clueless about motive. The attempted assassin put out an anti-Trump manifesto about wanting to kill Trump Admin officials, minutes before trying to storm a ballroom filled with the President, VP, Cabinet and many others from his Admin,” he added.
Utah Senator Mike Lee echoed the sentiment, stating: “It was politically motivated. He made that pretty clear.”An account affiliated with the Republican National Committee also weighed in, posting: “Law enforcement officers confirmed this radicalized Leftist was targeting President Trump and his administration last night. Why are you lying?”
After reviewing the alleged manifesto, President Donald Trump argued that political rhetoric may have contributed to radicalization. He also pointed to the internet as a factor.
“I do think that the hate speech of the Democrats much more so is very dangerous,” Trump told CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell in an interview for “60 Minutes. I really think it’s very dangerous for the country.”
Trump and his wife Melania were onstage with Cabinet members just moments before the shooting started inside the hotel. One Secret Service agent was hit in the neck by a bullet that went through his bulletproof vest. He will survive.
Authorities say Allen had been staying at the Washington Hilton before the shooting. Relatives said he was a frequent visitor to a shooting range. Law enforcement officials say he had two guns and several knives when he allegedly burst through a security line to head toward the ballroom where the president, officials and reporters had been gathered.
Trump said of the suspect’s movements caught on hotel surveillance video: “He moved very fast. Honestly that was incredible. He was like a “blur,” said Trump. “The NFL should sign him up.”
“But it was amazing because as soon as they [law enforcement] saw that, you could see them draw their guns. They were so professional, aimed their guns, and then they took him down immediately,” Trump told O’Donnell.
The suspect in the WHCD shooting is expected to appear in court Monday, facing two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. Barack Obama has not yet responded to the backlash from his comments about the alleged attempt to assassinate Donald Trump.
