FRIENDLY FEDERAL ASSASSIN

THE RISE OF A CULTURE OF VIOLENCE AND ASSASSINATION

On the night of Saturday, 25 April 2026, the Washington, DC Hilton Hotel ballroom was the ‘place to be.’ The annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) was held that night. Approximately 2,500 people were in attendance, a who’s who of journalists, politicians, and famous people, all in one place.

The 2026 WHCD was extra special because US President Donald Trump would be there for the first time in his presidency. Known for his usual rocky relationship with what the President calls the ‘fake news media,’ his presence was like an olive branch to try to reset the interaction on a more civil and conciliatory tone.

Along with the President were First Lady Melania, Vice President JD Vance, and his cabinet were there, too. If anyone wanted to be under the same roof as Donald Trump and the top leaders in his administration, the 2026 WHCD was the ‘place to be.’

‘Friendly Federal Assassin’

There was someone who was very eager to be in that ballroom with all those important people. His name: Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California. He took an Amtrak train to DC and checked into the Hilton Hotel the night before the WHCD.

Allen came to Washington bearing ‘gifts’: a rifle, an automatic handgun, ammunition, and an assortment of knives. He had murder on his mind– mass murder. But who? Of course, he wanted to assassinate President Trump, whom in his manifesto he described as ’a pedophile, rapist, and traitor.’ But Allen had more on his wish list: ‘Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritised from highest-ranking to lowest.’ No wonder Allen referred to himself in his manifesto as the ‘friendly federal assassin.’

Due to lax hotel security, Allen and his weapons managed to reach the room next to the ballroom, where the Trump Administration was located. After making a dash across the room and shooting a Secret Service officer (who survived), the gunman was tackled to the ground and handcuffed. Cole Tomas Allen’s shooting spree ended as quickly as it started. This was due to the quick and heroic work of the US Secret Service; also, full credit to global intercessors who prayed for Trump’s continued safety after two previous assassination attempts. For now, the President and his team were saved.

A Chilling Trend

Allen failed to get into the ballroom and fulfil his plan; however, he managed to get the WHCD cancelled (according to Trump, it is postponed). He got perilously close to the President and key leaders. His actions highlight a very disturbing but growing trend: the advocacy, tolerance, endorsements, and the use of violence and assassination to settle political differences instead of the rule of law and civil discourse. According to Dr. Steve Turley, a Rutgers University survey found 55% of left-leaning respondents said, in some cases, the assassination of Trump could be justified.

The culture of normalising violence is prominent on the political left. Luigi Mangione, alleged assassin of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, became a folk hero and heartthrob to young leftists. Remember how social media was littered with scandalous, soulless, and macabre postings, celebrating with ghoulish glee the assassination of Charlie Kirk. And let’s not forget the approval and celebration at the  indescribably horrific deaths of 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. 

Trump is not alone in being the object of attacks, plots, and assassination attempts, both in and out of office. Of recent modern US Presidents, there were five incidents against Bill Clinton, two against George W. Bush, thirteen targeting Barack Obama, three against Joe Biden, and a whopping seventeen aimed at Donald Trump. 

America and the West are at war with itself: a political war, civilisational, cultural, and spiritual war. The time of debating is over. Internal enemies are more deadly than external enemies. A house divided against itself cannot stand. If the West is going to survive and thrive, we need to admit that the culture of violence and assassination is on the rise. We have to understand why it is rising and what we can do about it. As always, the Bible is our guide.

Don

Wisdom from the Word

Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. Proverbs 10:12 

He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. Proverbs 10:18 

One of the main features of this civil war that stokes violence is the putrid smell of the spirit of hatred. And hatred is the beginning of murder. It starts with defamation and slander, calling people names that the hater can neither prove nor define. Such reckless rhetoric is regularly featured on social media, the mainstream media, academia, and the political class. Even a few members of Congress have advocated violence against Trump and his supporters.

For example, no one attracts such a wide gamut of emotions as Donald Trump. To his supporters, he is the consequential hero leader who is saving America and Western Civilisation from destruction. To his detractors, he is defamed and demonised. Some of the more recent hateful labels include Nazi, Fascist, Hitler, racist, a totalitarian dictator, and ‘orange man bad.’

A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin. Proverbs 26:28

The mudslinging began in 2015 when Trump announced his entry into politics and continued unabated ever since. Repeat the slander enough, and the lying and hatred morph into murder. That’s how a Cole Allen went from being a normal, respectable mechanical engineer and teacher of the month to a self-proclaimed mass murderer.

While Satan does his fair share of trouble-making and tempting people to be violent and murderous, we cannot blame him alone. According to James 4:1, the reason for quarrelling and violence is the appetites (lust) that war against us, body, mind, soul and spirit.

If you believe we are in the last days, remember that it is a time of contrasts (Isaiah 60:1-2). Good people will become better and more righteous, while evil people become more vile and violent. The perilous nature of the end times before Christ’s return is the polar opposite of the peace and prosperity that will be ours in the everlasting kingdom of God.

The definitive statement of hatred, which leads to lying, lawlessness, violence, and assassination, is found in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:21-22:

21. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Thou shalt not kill (murder): This is the Sixth Commandment and speaks of the wanton taking of a human life. Those who murder must be brought to justice.

Angry with his brother without a cause: Nursing unreasonable, irrational, and violent anger for no good reason. They must be brought to justice, also.

Judgment: Local synagogue council, subordinate to the Great Council of Seventy or Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.

Raca: means vain fellow; a statement of contempt. Those who utter this word at another person must receive justice from the Council, which means the Sanhedrin.

Fool: Said in condemnation and murderous hatred. It is not just the word ‘fool’ but the spirit behind it that makes it so offensive to God. Justice here is hell fire. Jesus called the Emmaus Road disciples ‘fools’ (Luke 24:25), and Paul called the church in Asia Minor ‘foolish Galatians’ (Galatians 3:1). In both cases, these incidents were loving, healthy pastoral rebukes, not hateful statements of derision.

Hell Fire - Gehenna (Greek) is the valley to the west of Old Jerusalem. It has a horrible history: child sacrifices to false gods, a burial place for foreigners, and the municipal rubbish tip/dump, where the fire is not quenched, and the worm never dies. Gehenna is a prototype of hell, the lake of fire (Revelation 20) itself.

The real sin of murder begins in the heart, is activated by words and consummated by actions. The message is that a person is considered a murderer in the mind and mouth before they pull the trigger.

The antidote to the poison of hatred, lying, lawlessness, and murder is the gospel, the cross of Christ, cleansing of the blood of Jesus, God’s Word in the heart, baptism and fulness of the Holy Spirit. Mix these things with a generous portion of the mercy and grace of God and you will experience miraculous change. These things can transform even a friendly federal assassin into another Apostle Paul, who was transformed from a religious bully full of murderous hatred into a mighty man of God who turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6).

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