Trump rebukes WHCD suspect Cole Allen's family for not reporting him ‘more strongly’

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump rebuked the family members of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect for not reporting him a "little bit more strongly."

The president’s reprimand came after reports suggested that the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, sent an anti-Trump manifesto to his family around 10 minutes before opening fire at the Washington Hilton event on Saturday, April 25.

Trump says he wishes family had reported Cole Tomas Allen’s 'difficulties'

The suspect’s brother reportedly notified the New London Police in Connecticut upon receiving the alleged manifesto. 

The White House told CNN and NBC that the suspect’s sibling had notified the police minutes before the Saturday night shooting in Washington, DC.

After learning that the suspect had written to his family before carrying out the shooting at the hotel, Trump rebuked the family and said that only if they had informed “a little bit.”

"I heard about the New London situation, and I wish they would have told us about it a little bit, but it is what it is," Trump told Fox News of the police report.

"That family knew that he had difficulty, and his family seemed to be, I think, they spent a lot of time with his family, his family said he had big difficulty," he said. "Maybe they should have reported him a little bit more strongly, probably, but it's a hard thing to do, I guess."

"He had a lot of hatred in his heart for quite a while," the POTUS further said. 

Cole Tomas Allen wanted to fix issues with today's world

The family of the suspect revealed that the 31-year-old teacher would plan to fix “issues with today’s world.”

In an interview with Secret Service and Montgomery County Police, the suspect's sister, Avriana Allen, highlighted that her brother would often make radical statements and constantly referenced a plan to do “something” to fix the issues with today’s world.

She also revealed that Allen would often go to the shooting range to train with his firearms. 

Trump calls suspect Cole Tomas Allen 'a sick guy'

During the interview, Trump described the suspect as a “sick” and “bad” person, saying Allen was motivated by hatred.

“The guy is a sick guy,” Trump said, referring to the manifesto recovered from his hotel room by investigators. "When you read his manifesto, he hates Christians; that’s one thing for sure. He hates Christians, a hatred." 

The president also said the suspect’s family had previously contacted law enforcement over concerns about his behavior.

Karoline Leavitt says suspected shooter sought to assassinate Trump

The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting was not a random act and described it as a direct attempt on the president’s life.

“What was supposed to be a fun night at the WHCA dinner with President Trump delivering jokes and celebrating free speech was hijacked by a depraved, crazy person who sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible,” Leavitt wrote on X.

"President Trump was truly fearless, but as he said last night, this political violence needs to end," she added.