Cole Allen has just been named as the suspect in the failed shooting incident at the White House this past weekend. He reportedly sent his family and friends a note just 10 minutes before he rushed through security at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Some information about Allen has been released following his arrest. He has also been falsely linked to some members of the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance's wife, Usha Vance.
Has Cole Allen Met Usha Vance?
Cole Allen appeared in a video with Usha Vance back in 2017
— Merlin Capital 🧙♂️ (@merlinscapital) April 26, 2026
Remember nothing is a coincidence. This is satanic from the Epstein elite pic.twitter.com/3iK37fBhoB
X user @merlinscapital uploaded a throwback video from 2017 that shows Allen, who was a student at CalTech at the time, introducing a prototype for a wheelchair emergency brake that he created. Allen was also interviewed at the Aging Into the Future conference organised by St. Barnabas Senior Services and the Eisner Foundation.
'The wheelchair brakes tend to lock the wheels, but don't lock the chair to the ground. But with this device, that will prevent the chair from skidding at all,' Allen told the interviewer.
But what looked like an innocent event turned political after the X user alleged that Allen made an appearance with Usha in the video. 'Cole Allen appeared in a video with Usha Vance back in 2017. Remember, nothing is a coincidence. This is satanic from the Epstein elite,' the user wrote. However, Usha did not appear in the video and there was no mention of her either.
Netizens React to Misinformation
Some netizens were quick to point out that one of the women in the video wasn't Usha and said that they didn't resemble each other either.
Umm... That is NOT Usha Vance. 😂😂
— THATJennCheng (@THATJennCheng) April 26, 2026
'Umm... That is NOT Usha Vance,' one person wrote.
You’re spreading lies. Not Usha.
— Louis Roi (@kingsaint_louis) April 26, 2026
'You're spreading lies. Not Usha,' another person commented.
I keep seeing this video. where does it say this is Usha?! She’s a lawyer, why would she be there?
— idkbro (@kaceface424) April 26, 2026
'I keep seeing this video. Where does it say this is Usha?! She's a lawyer, why would she be there?' a third person wrote.
Who is Cole Allen?
Allen has no direct ties with Usha and her husband, according to available reporting. The 31-year-old is a teacher and engineer from Torrance, California. A LinkedIn page believed to be his describes Allen as a mechanical engineer and a computer scientist by degree. He is also believed to be an independent game developer and a teacher by profession.
He reportedly earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from CalTech in 2017, the same year that he appeared in the video from the conference. He earned his master's degree in computer science from California State University Dominguez Hills last year.
A video of Allen rushing through security has been released online. Reports later confirmed that he was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives. He exchanged several shots with law enforcement, ultimately hitting a Secret Service agent, who was confirmed to be safe because he was wearing an armoured vest.
Before the incident, Allen left his family and friends a note apologising for what he was about to do. He did not directly mention Trump's name, but he criticised some members of the president's administration. Allen single-handedly exempted FBI Director Kash Patel as his target.
'I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done,' he wrote, according to outlets that have reviewed the document.
Allen's brother notified authorities about the note, and local police then alerted federal law enforcement. However, the full text of the writing has not been made public.
