Not left, not right - the case of Cole Allen and the convenient lie

The man whom Donald Trump and his allies immediately classified as a product of a “radicalized left” does not fit that image. Cole Allen, the alleged shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, was not an activist for a party, not a supporter of a political camp, but someone who distrusted both sides and openly despised them. Trump called him “radicalized.” The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Joe Gruters, spoke of a “radicalized left” that had normalized political violence. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had checks initiated to determine whether there were connections to left-wing groups. Major media outlets quickly adopted the same framing. Ken Dilanian, an American journalist at NBC News, said it fit a pattern of perpetrators from “extreme left fringes” who lived in their own reality and eventually resorted to violence.

This portrayal does not withstand scrutiny. Cole Allen did not direct his anger one-sidedly at Trump or the Republicans. On X, Allen used the name “CForce3000.” The account is now offline, but more than 2,700 saved posts had been accessible through the Wayback Machine archive. On Bluesky, Allen operated another account under the name coldforce.bsky.social - more than 700 posts are archived there. The attribution is supported by biographical details that match Allen’s life, by the similar usernames, and by content parallels with the X account. In the message Allen sent to family members shortly before the attack, he signed with the nickname “coldForce.” His own posts show a different picture. He repeatedly attacked the Democratic Party leadership, questioned its priorities, and openly called for a new party. On January 21, 2025, he wrote that if this was the leadership of the Democrats, a real third party needed to emerge. In further posts, he mocked inaction and called for replacing the political system. On March 13, he publicly asked whether there could be a vote of no confidence against Chuck Schumer. Just days before the attack, he made fun of Schumer’s way of working.

A published post by Allen under the name “coldForce” shows that he publicly opposed restrictions on civil and voting rights. The cited text emphasizes that rights fought for over decades should not be put at risk because of a distant international conflict.

The content makes clear that he separated foreign policy issues from domestic rights and considered the protection of those rights a priority.

On the platform Bluesky under “coldForce,” he describes himself as a US citizen from California who comments on domestic politics, supports Ukraine, and shares personal observations.

The published content combines political positions with personal statements. In one highlighted post, he formulates a clear stance on conflicts that he intends to fight not physically but out of conviction. At the same time, posts about the war in Ukraine are shared. The overall impression is an account with political interest, a clear position on Ukraine, and a mix of personal statements and shared content.

See also our article: Our investigation shows: A man who had everything - and suddenly reached for a weapon - the case of Cole Allen and his manifesto

This is not a marginal phenomenon. The numbers speak clearly. At the beginning of 2025, approval of the Democratic Party stood at 27 percent in an NBC News poll and 29 percent in a CNN poll, the lowest levels in decades. A Pew survey showed that 59 percent of its own supporters reject the leadership in Congress. Millions of voters no longer trust their own party. This is the decisive point. The narrative of the extremist lone actor relieves those in charge. It shifts the cause from widespread disappointment with political leadership to an alleged minority. Anyone who simply labels Allen as “left” is deliberately ignoring what he actually said.

Allen was not a representative of a party. He was an expression of a condition that has long been widespread. Distrust of institutions, anger at stagnation, the feeling that nothing works anymore. This is not an exception, it is everyday reality for many voters in the United States. The case reveals less about a political direction than about a system that has lost trust. And that is the uncomfortable truth that no one in power wants to hear.