Mentalist Oz Pearlman, who was entertaining President Donald Trump when shots rang out at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, said he locked eyes with the president and feared they were going to die.
Mid-Trick Terror
Pearlman was performing a trick in front of the US President, First Lady Melania, and pregnant press secretary Karoline Leavitt when a gunman opened fire. He had been chosen to host and headline the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton.
In an Instagram post after the incident, Pearlman recounted his fear that a bomb was about to explode as the gunman opened fire. He stated he was just "a couple of feet away" from Trump in what he described as the "scariest moment of my life."
Escape and Aftermath
Cole Tomas Allen allegedly shot a Secret Service agent, who survived thanks to a bulletproof vest, and was prevented from entering the ballroom when tackled by the Secret Service. Trump and Melania were swiftly evacuated, with the president appearing to be forced to the ground at one point.
Pearlman said he was performing for the president and first lady when he "looked up to see a commotion" and believed they were all going to die. He posted: "Thank you all for checking on me. I am ok and thank God everyone is alright."
He continued: "Was in the middle of performing for the President and First Lady when I looked up to see a commotion, thought it was a bomb about to go off or shots fired. We hit the deck fast and Secret Service acted decisively and professionally to protect us all."
"We laid on the ground, I was a couple of feet away from President Trump, eyes locked with one another. It was likely the scariest moment of my life and will never forget it. So happy everyone is ok."
CNN Interview
Pearlman told CNN he initially thought there might be a bomb in the room and said he will "never forget the image" of the president on the floor "less than a foot" in front of him. He said: "They bring the president down directly in front of me, and we just look at each other for about two seconds, and my mind [is like], 'Oh, no. Are we about to die?' I thought it was about to explode. That was really my instinct."
Pearlman also revealed he thought Trump had been hurt because the president "went down really hard" when Secret Service agents brought him to the ground. He said: "It was a tackle ... and that would hurt anyone. I don't care what age you are. So we were looking at each other. He was just looking, but the expression in his face didn't show whether there was pain or what was going on."
After Trump was taken away, the performer described "chaos" backstage for several minutes, during which he did not know whether the president was okay. He said: "No one really knew what had happened for an extended period, which was kind of jarring."
Background on Pearlman
When the White House Correspondents' Association announced Oz Pearlman as the "host and headline entertainer," they expressed delight. "As the world's most celebrated mentalist, Oz Pearlman will offer a fascinating glimpse into what's truly on the minds of Washington's newsmakers," said Weijia Jiang, president of the association. "We look forward to an exciting, fresh, and interactive evening as we celebrate the First Amendment and Washington news coverage together."
Pearlman is an Emmy Award winner and New York Times bestselling author who has performed for major sports teams and A-list celebrities. "I am thrilled to be the featured entertainer at this year's WHCA dinner and join the ranks of Frank Sinatra, Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, among many other legends," Pearlman said about hosting the event.
According to USA Today, after several successful years on Wall Street, he decided to pursue entertainment full-time. He was a breakout star on NBC's America's Got Talent with his apparent mind-reading mentalism routines. NBC reported he later joined an elite group including David Blaine and David Copperfield by headlining his own network television special and earned an Emmy Award the following year. In April 2022, the married father of five was featured on the cover of The New York Times after breaking the world record for the most miles ever run around Central Park in a single day, 116 miles, while raising more than $100,000 (£74,000) for Save the Children's Ukraine Relief Fund.
