Conservative podcaster Candace Owens is known for speaking out on current issues, which has put her silence in the aftermath of the White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting in sharp contrast. Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old from Torrance, Los Angeles, was identified as the shooter and has now been charged with attempting to assassinate the president.
Meanwhile, claims have been made that Allen’s name was searched in Italy on Google Trends, days before the shooting. This comes amid claims from far-right influencer and Donald Trump loyalist Laura Loomer that Owens had traveled to Italy.
These factors have led to bizarre claims being made seeking to link Owens to Allen.
Also Read | Thomas Crook to Cole Allen: List of people charged with Trump assassination attempts
“Cole Thomas Allen was just an unknown teacher — a nobody. Nobody was googling his name. Then Candace Owens abruptly flees to Italy with zero warning to her audience (something she’s never done before). Searches for Cole Thomas Allen’s name spiked in Italy days before the assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — right around the time Candace arrived. Why did an obscure teacher’s name suddenly trend in Italy before the shooting? Does Candace Owens have ties to the alleged assassin? Just asking questions,” one person wrote.
Another person asked “Why was Candace searching for Cole Thomas Allen days before the assassination attempt?”. Yet another added “Candace Owens canceled her show again today. She still refuses to tell anyone where she was the night of the White House Correspondents Dinner attack. She still hasn’t denied possibly knowing Cole Allen. This just keeps getting weirder. The vibes just keep not vibing.”
Candace Owens linked to Cole Tomas Allen? Fact check
The claims seeking to link Owens and Allen come from unverified profiles for the most part. They also do not provide any proof to establish links between Owens and Allen, except for the strenuous claim that the podcaster is in Italy, and Google Trends allegedly detected a search spike for the shooter’s name from there.
Grok fact-checked the claims as well, saying “No, this isn’t true. There’s zero credible evidence linking Candace Owens to Cole Thomas Allen or the April 25 shooting attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.”
The AI chatbot further added “Allen, a 31-year-old Torrance, CA teacher, acted alone as a politically motivated lone gunman per law enforcement and multiple reports (NBC, AP, LA Times). The video’s “proof”—a Google Trends spike and Owens’ Italy trip—is post-event speculation, not a connection. Searches spiked globally after the news broke; no ties exist. Viral theory only.”
The claims seeking to link Owens and Allen appear to be mere conspiracy theories, something the right-wing podcaster is no stranger to herself.
Where is Candace Owens today?
Owens is currently traveling with her family. She updated her followers with the news on April 24 itself, saying “No show today!! Sorry—I thought I had announced I was traveling with my family. See you guys next week!”.
While Loomer has claimed that Owens is in Italy, it remains unclear if that is the case.
However, her post from April 25 does seem to suggest Owens might be in Italy. “As previously discussed, bring the gold bullions into the Vatican crypt. Beware the SPLC is heavy on the chase. Speak to no one that doesn’t have a podcast,” she wrote jokingly. Notably, Owens spending family time would explain her silence on the WHCD shooting, irrespective of the social media buzz it sparked.
