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Cole Allen’s cross-country train musings show ‘scattered’ mindset of accused would-be Trump killer: expert

Published

4 days ago

May 3, 2026

A court filing by prosecutors in the case against Cole Allen, accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, provided a glimpse into the 31-year-old’s mind in the days leading up to last weekend’s attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C.

According to the filing, Allen boarded an Amtrak train on April 21 after purchasing a one-way ticket from Los Angeles to the nation’s capital, stopping in only Chicago to change trains. While he rode, prosecutors say he “kept a running note on his phone of his observations and thoughts during his cross-country train journey.”

But those notes had nothing to do with Allen’s alleged plan to commit the ultimate crime. Rather, his musings along the way, in tandem with what he wrote in a later manifesto, paint a picture of an unfocused person whose thoughts were “scattered,” as one former FBI behavioral analyst said, despite the gravity of the situation.

While he traveled through the U.S. southwest on the first leg of his trip, Allen made a note: “[t]he southwest desert in spring Distant wind turbines looming like snowy mountains across the hazy NM desert.”

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER SHOOTING: TIMELINE TRACES HOW SUSPECT’S ALLEGED CROSS-COUNTRY PLAN UNFOLDED

Of Chicago, where he would switch trains and board a second train to his final destination, Allen wrote that, “Chicago is cool; kinda like an Iowa small town was scaled up to LA size.” Of the sliver of southwestern Pennsylvania through which he would pass, he wrote that the “woods are awesome (look like vast fairy lands filled with tiny trickling creeks in spring apparently.”

Allen arrived in Washington, D.C. early in the afternoon on Friday, April 24. He spent about 30 hours in the city before initiating his alleged attack.

Surveillance video from the Washington Hilton hotel, also released by the Department of Justice, showed Allen apparently pacing through hallways, once entering the hotel’s fitness center and taking a look around before hastily exiting.

COLE ALLEN IDENTIFIED AS SUSPECT IN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER SHOOTING

Minutes before the attack, a pre-scheduled email from Allen was sent to his family and friends, explaining his actions, according to authorities.

He allegedly acknowledged that his mission would likely severely harm him at the least, but never stated that he was willing to die for his cause. His motivations were political, and he painted himself as a savior of the oppressed. He apologized profusely to family, friends and everyone he had come in contact with on his cross-country trek. He noted that there were certain people he hoped wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire, and described himself as “friendly.”

Jonny Grusing served as a special agent in the FBI’s Denver Field Office for 25 years. For 13 of those years, he was the Behavioral Analysis Unit coordinator for the division.

UNABOMBER INVESTIGATOR REVEALS LIKELY BREAKING POINT OF ALLEGED WOULD-BE TRUMP ASSASSIN

“His flippancy of what he was talking about in the train or writing about, coincides with what he writes in his manifesto as, ‘hello everybody, so I may have given a lot of people a surprise today,'” said Grusing. “I mean, that’s not someone who’s singularly focused on a grievance.”

“I would say he was conflicted. He’s apologizing to everyone, even people that he rode along the [train] with, which he’s not harming them in any way,” said Grusing. “But he’s apologizing to the people at work, he’s apologizing to his family and he’s apologizing to the people he might have to do violence to. Whether that’s him trying to convince whoever reads this, that he’s a not a bad person or that he’s conflicted … that’s not someone to me who seems single-minded that he’s going to be successful in his mission.”

Grusing said Allen seemed “scattered,” and described him as a narcissist.

“The profiling unit taught us about dangerous human characteristics and the two I think that would apply to Mr. Allen are narcissism and psychopathy,” he said. “I think he’s become more narcissistic just from his writings, in saying that, ‘this is on me,’ ‘this is my problem,’ [and] ‘I have to act.'”

“And then even him trying to manage other people’s perception of him, like the people that rode on the train with him and helped him with his luggage, they weren’t affected by this at all,” said Grusing. “But yet he feels like he’s impacting all of society by doing what he’s doing, which again, that’s what makes me think, when he makes these little statements and apologies to everyone, he’s saying, ‘I’m going to become a national name by doing this. Look at me.'”

“So he’s putting himself as this martyr, as this patriot, as the only one who can really fix this thing that’s broken, and that’s very dangerous.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Allen’s attorney.

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Oregon burglary suspect nabbed after crashing SUV during police chase: video

Published

17 minutes ago

May 7, 2026

Addison Blake

A burglary suspect was taken into custody and is now facing a slew of charges after crashing his SUV during a police pursuit in Oregon, according to authorities.

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a burglary in the 17000 block of Southeast River Road on Tuesday at around 4 p.m.

A 911 caller had reported observing a man enter their garage and steal various items after reviewing home security footage, according to deputies.

When deputies arrived, the caller shared images of the suspect and told them that the man was driving a white Ford Explorer.

REPEAT OFFENDER WITH MASSIVE RAP SHEET LEADS COPS ON WILD CHASE AS BLIND PASSENGER BEGS TO ESCAPE: POLICE

Deputies later identified the suspect as Scotty Nicholas Oldfield. His vehicle was spotted by a deputy on Southeast Roethe Road before he sped off past the deputy.

Deputies began pursuing the vehicle and attempted to stop Oldfield.

Oldfield eventually crashed into another occupied vehicle near Southeast Oatfield Road and Southeast Park Avenue and rolled the SUV he was driving before hitting an unoccupied parked vehicle.

CAR LOADED WITH EXPLOSIVES SLAMS INTO LAVISH PORTLAND SOCIAL CLUB, BOMB SQUAD STILL PULLING OUT LIVE DEVICES

The driver of the other occupied vehicle declined medical treatment at the scene.

Oldfield was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital to be treated for serious injuries.

When deputies searched Oldfield’s vehicle, they located suspected stolen items.

Oldfield was charged with several crimes, including second-degree burglary, first-degree theft, attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, DUII, identity theft, driving while suspended or revoked, third-degree assault (DUII) and criminal mischief.

Investigators later learned that Oldfield had multiple outstanding warrants out of Oregon and Washington state for charges such as failure to appear, DUII, driving while suspended, false information, identity theft, assault, reckless endangerment, robbery, malicious mischief and criminal trespass.

Investigators believe Oldfield may have targeted additional victims. Anyone with information about Oldfield’s criminal activity is urged to contact the sheriff’s office.

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How the media, in the digital age, help fuel a climate of anger and violence

Published

17 minutes ago

May 7, 2026

Addison Blake

The media are part of the problem.

What problem? Well, there’s a long list. Take your pick.

In the pre-digital era, I used to say that cable news encouraged inflammatory rhetoric by lawmakers because so many of them wanted to break through the static and get their sound bite on the air.

Things are a thousand times more complicated now with the rise of podcasts, group chats, Snapchat, TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube and Substack. But the principle remains the same. How, amid this deafening noise, do you get heard?

TUNING OUT: WHY MANY AMERICANS ARE SICK OF THE NEWS – ESPECIALLY TRUMP NEWS

It’s a much angrier atmosphere now, and some attribute that to President Donald Trump. But he didn’t create this environment, he just exploited it, with constant attacks on journalists, political opponents and a retribution campaign against his enemies. He is also on the receiving end of a decade of denunciations depicting him as a Nazi, fascist, dictator, danger to democracy and not a very nice person.

Another major shift is that there are so many more journalistic stars now, from legacy media to online influencers, to the point that some lawmakers have quit (or been retired) to become network and cable contributors, even anchors.

That’s why this essay in the Atlantic, by Michael Scherer, is so revealing.

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Scherer, who previously reported for Time and the Washington Post, says he feels “complicit” in the new world of endless attacks. He wrote this after attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner that erupted in gunfire in the third assassination attempt against President Trump – and unleashed a torrent of comments from idiots who claimed the assault was somehow “staged,” though we watched it unfold on live television.

He listed a spate of political murders, from Charlie Kirk to the CEO of United Healthcare, and sees the cycle of political violence getting worse.

Scherer once co-authored an article about Trump comparing himself to Napoleon, Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, with no hint of political violence, that triggered a wave of obscenity-filled attacks against the president.

Here’s the formula: “The more a story taps an emotional vein—usually outrage or grievance—the more traffic it will tend to attract from social media. I am in the business of writing long and complicated stories full of nuance. Yet I am at the mercy of platforms that want to turn my words into cortisol and endorphins, often for people who will never click the link to read what I wrote. Regardless of my intentions, my work can fuel the false division I despise.”

And aren’t most journalists guilty of this to some degree, whether it’s squeezing a short line onto the platform previously known as Twitter, or slapping a tendentious headline on a podcast? That’s part of the escalation.

Meanwhile, Kash Patel’s lawsuit may be taking a troubling turn.

MS NOW reported yesterday that there is concern among FBI agents that the bureau has “launched a criminal leak investigation” aimed at the Atlantic journalist who wrote the offending piece, Sarah Fitzpatrick.

That would be strange, because the story contained no classified information. It was a negative portrayal of his conduct in office and alleged drinking habits. This would, if accurate, mean that Patel was in charge of the alleged probe while pursuing a $250-million suit against the magazine.

A bureau spokesman denied the story, saying: “This is completely false. No such investigation like this exists and the reporter you mention is not being investigated at all.”

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

“If confirmed to be true,” said Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, “this would represent an outrageous attack on the free press and the First Amendment itself. We will defend the Atlantic and its staff vigorously; we will not be intimidated by illegitimate investigations or other acts of politically motivated retaliation.”

Take the denial for what it’s worth. But keep in mind that in January, the FBI, armed with a search warrant, entered the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, seized her iPhone and other devices, as part of a leak investigation and still hasn’t returned them – though they include such personal information as her wedding plans. Natanson just won a Pulitzer.