Joe Rogan isn’t giving the Secret Service a free pass after the third assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump. The 47th President of the U.S. was attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, April 25, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. That’s when the suspect, Cole Thomas Allen, tried to breach a Secret Service security checkpoint at the hotel.

Armed with a shotgun, Allen opened fire as he charged the checkpoint. And law enforcement officers returned fire. One officer was struck in the chest, but a ballistic vest helped him avoid life-threatening injuries. Allen was quickly subdued and taken into custody, effectively thwarting the attack. The incident has now become a subject of ridicule in Joe Rogan’s podcast, where he mocked the Secret Service. 

“Well, he shot a Secret Service guy. He shot him in the vest,” Rogan said when his guests were talking about Allen’s highly educated background. 

“They don’t know who shot who,” Jamie Vernon jumped in to reveal.

“Oh, really?” Rogan said, shocked. 

“You’re saying the Secret Service guy shot himself?” comic Ari Shaffir joked, as everyone broke into laughter. 

“It might have been friendly fire,” Rogan suggested, still laughing. 

“Was it that lady again?” Mark Normand interrupted. 

“Yeah, I think the lady was there,” Shaffir added.

“Imagine if she was like, ‘I know I f—ked up way back in July, but look, guys, I’m better. I’ve been working out.’ And then this is their second assignment,” Rogan piled on the mockery of the Secret Service. 

It’s worth noting that former U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faced intense criticism after the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Since she was the head of the agency, she was held responsible for the major security lapse, allowing shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks to access the rooftops with a direct line of sight to Trump. 

While a bullet grazed Trump’s ear, one spectator lost his life, and another was injured. She was forced to resign from her position later in July 2024 amid bipartisan calls for her departure. But that’s not the lady Rogan was talking about. Instead, the long-time UFC commentator was referring to a female Secret Service agent on Trump’s detail during the rally. 

After the assassination attempt in 2024, a female agent was seen struggling to control the crowd and went viral. She was heavily criticized, and Joe Rogan appears to be poking fun at the possibility of her being part of Trump’s security detail during the Correspondents’ Dinner. There’s no proof that the same lady was part of the security detail, however. 

Regardless, the Dinner attack was the third assassination attempt on Trump. The first happened during the rally in 2024, and the second came later that year in September. Trump was at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach when Ryan Wesley Routh was spotted hiding in bushes with a rifle near the golf course. 

In any case, Rogan’s mockery comes after questions were raised about who actually shot the Secret Service agent during the dinner. As Jamie mentioned, there’s an interesting story unfolding at the moment. 

Legal filing fails to clarify whether Allen shot the Secret Service agent

According to a report from Reuters, a pretrial detention motion was submitted in the U.S. District Court on Wednesday regarding the Dinner assassination attempt. The filing states that Allen fired a shotgun “in the direction of the stairs leading down to the ballroom.” It was in the direction where Trump, officials, and members of the press were gathered that night.

But here’s the twist! The filing doesn’t state that Allen’s shot struck anyone. What’s even more interesting is that the filing states that an officer fired five times. But there’s no mention of any officer being hit by a bullet from the suspect’s weapon. This, of course, contradicts earlier claims made by officials, including acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. 

Blanche said he believes Allen’s shotgun fire hit the agent, before adding, “We’re still looking at that.” It’s also worth noting that an earlier affidavit that was filed on Monday claimed that agents “heard a loud gunshot” and a Secret Service Agent named ‘V.G’ was shot once. Still, the affidavit doesn’t identify who actually fired the round. 

It appears a lack of resolution about who actually fired the bullet that struck the Secret Service agent and the overall failure to prevent the incident have made the agency a laughing stock in Joe Rogan’s podcast. But what do you make of all this?