EXCLUSIVE: Trump Shooting Suspect’s Past Reveals Turn From Christian Upbringing
Cole Tomas Allen was raised in a Christian homeschool environment, but more than a decade ago showed early signs of drifting toward left-wing grievance politics.
Ngo Comment can exclusively report that the accused attempted assassin suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting was raised in a homeschooling environment tied to an evangelical Christian community in southern California.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., is accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the Washington Hilton Hotel on April 25. A Secret Service officer was shot but was not injured due to his bulletproof vest.
In the days since the shooting, Allen’s manifesto has circulated publicly, outlining radical left-wing, anti-Trump views and an expressed desire to target the president and members of his administration.
Allen’s extensive social media history on X and Bluesky is also under scrutiny, showing a sharp shift over the past two years toward increasingly extreme leftist, anti-Trump rhetoric.
But Allen was not always politically radical.
He was once a high-achieving student and athlete raised in a structured homeschooling environment connected to a conservative Christian network.
Allen was a student in the South Bay Faith Academy in Redondo Beach, Calif., a Christian homeschool co-op that connects families for education, athletics and social activities. The program offers parent-led classes, youth sports and organized events for homeschooled students connected to local churches.
Even within that community, however, his family stood out.
“Something that stood out to me was his family, especially his sister, was very liberal,” said a former peer who was part of the same homeschooling co-op.
The source, who requested anonymity, said Allen’s sister argued with other students about her hatred of Trump back in 2016.
“He was nice and smart, but this [the shooting] didn’t happen in a vacuum,” the former peer said. “His sister and Cole believed all people of color were victims even though he and his siblings went to great schools.” Allen attended the prestigious California Institute of Technology after graduating.
Allen’s family has been associated with Grace United Reformed Church in Torrance.
Photos from his youth show Allen participating in volleyball through Pacific Lutheran High School, which provided athletics for students in the co-op academy.
Allen graduated from the homeschool program in 2013 before attending CalTech, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 2017. He later obtained a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills last year.
It remains unclear what led to his radicalization, but his expressed views in the manifesto and online social media posts are not divergent from inflammatory and sometimes extreme rhetoric espoused by Democrat politicians, writers, and activists.
Some recent research has shown that highly educated people who identify as liberal or left-wing are increasingly more supportive of the use of political violence.
Polling by YouGov published in September 2025 showed that very liberal Americans are about 6 times more likely than right-wing identified respondents to support political violence.
On X, where he used the handle “@CForce3000,” Allen began in 2024 to frequently share posts from Democrat-linked accounts comparing Trump to Hitler. He often shared content from Democrat media influencer account Meidas Touch and The Lincoln Project. He also donated to Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign and shared claims that the 2024 shooting of Trump in Butler, Pa., was staged. This view was widely expressed online by left-wing accounts even though a Trump supporter was killed and two seriously injured.
In 2025, Allen moved to Bluesky, a platform popular among left-wing users who boycott X, where he continued posting anti-Trump content under the username “@coldforce.bsky.social.” He encouraged leftists to arm themselves, echoing rhetoric that has gained traction in some political circles.
“Best time to buy a gun was days ago,” Allen posted in December 2025, adding, “second best time is today.”
South Bay Faith Academy issued a statement distancing itself from Allen.
“We can confirm that the individual in question was a former student at our institution,” the statement reads in part. “However, this individual has had no recent association, affiliation or communication with the school. The actions of former students as private citizens do not reflect the values or mission of our Christian Educational Community.”
In Allen’s high school yearbook, he chose Galatians 2:20 as his senior quote: “…The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
He has been charged with one count of attempt to assassinate the President of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.
If Cole Allen grows old in prison, he will have time to contemplate how good his life really was and how ungrateful he behaved. He will realize how many people on planet Earth would’ve loved to trade places with him — before he attempted to kill a man he didn’t even know.
Another black child of privilage becomes a radicalized victim from Obama's rhetoric. That man has a lot to answer for, even if the god he worships grants him 72 virgins.