A widely shared video of Cole Tomas Allen, the alleged shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner, storming past security has been enhanced by AI, with users claiming it was enhanced using AI tools.
The video, which appears to be security footage, was first shared by President Donald Trump on Truth Social. A widely circulated version on X appears to have been processed using AI-based editing tools to improve its clarity and resolution.
Allen entered the dinner on Saturday night, forcing the Secret Service to evacuate Trump and members of his Cabinet, disrupting what appeared to be an assassination attempt on one of Washington’s most high-profile political events. Allen has been arrested and is under investigation.
Incident Highlights Political Tensions
The incident on Saturday comes amid a rise in political violence in the United States, with attacks that have targeted high-profile figures on both sides of the political spectrum. These include assassination attempts against Trump in 2024 and the killings of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and conservative activist Charlie Kirk in 2025.
Allen was quickly apprehended, and shortly after the incident, Trump spoke at a press conference and described him as a “lone wolf” and a “whack job.” He said Allen was armed with “multiple weapons” when he tried to enter the dinner, but was stopped outside the Washington Hilton’s ballroom by law enforcement.
In a manifesto, Allen refers to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin.” His brother notified police in New London, Connecticut, about the manifesto, which Allen shared with family members shortly before the shooting incident, a White House official told Newsweek on Sunday.
AI-edited security footage of the incident circulating so widely on social media indicates how artificial intelligence technologies can impact how information is shared and consumed in the aftermath of major events.
How AI Was Used
The original footage appears to show a man running through a security checkpoint, but is low-resolution and unclear.
It appears to show an individual running through the checkpoint, security turning after him and drawing weapons, and additional people entering the area through a door at the side.
The version that has circulated on X appears to have been enhanced using AI tools.
The underlying footage appears to remain the same, with AI used to enhance resolution and visual clarity in circulated versions.
The version shared on X has a watermark that reads, “Cap Cut AI,” an AI video-editing tool.
The edited version shows clearer detail of security personnel, including clothing and facial features, as well as improved visibility of the surrounding environment.
An account attributed to Seth Weathers, CEO of Conservative Dad’s Ultra Right Beer, shared the clip on X, where it has been viewed 3.4 million times. It read: “I enhanced the security footage from last night’s assassination attempt using AI. The footage was extremely low quality and it seems AI made up some things to fill in the gaps, but gives a better view of what took place.”
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson also shared the clip on X, writing, “This was an armed attack by a Democrat with the intention of killing the elected president with a deadly weapon. This attack is worse than every single thing that happened on January 6th, 2021, combined. The media will never tell you this. But it’s true.”
Ryan Fournier, a co-founder of the group Students for Trump, also shared the clip and wrote, “INCREDIBLE. Look at the absolute lightning speed of this Secret Service agent drawing his weapon. Zero hesitation. Total precision. These brave men and women are the best of the best, and they DO NOT play around when it comes to protecting their protectee!”
A Community Note has been added to the posts stating: “This is an AI altered version of the original video.”
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., said that Allen would be formally charged on Monday on two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on federal officers using a dangerous weapon.
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