Mentalist Oz Pearlman has described the terrifying moment he locked eyes with President Donald Trump as they both hid from a suspected assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Pearlman, who was performing a trick on stage when chaos erupted, said he feared for his life as Secret Service agents rushed the president to the floor.
In an interview with CNN, Pearlman recalled the two-second glance he shared with Trump while crouched nearby. 'I'll never forget the image for my whole life,' he said. 'My mind was just like, “Oh no, are we about to die?”' The mentalist admitted he could not read the president's expression, saying it was 'near-impossible' to tell if he was injured or in pain.
The incident began when Pearlman was performing a pre-show trick for Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, First Lady Melania Trump and the president. As he wrote a name on a paper card, Secret Service agents stormed the ballroom and tackled Trump to the ground. The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was detained without breaching the event space, but the room remained in chaos for several minutes.
Pearlman said he initially thought a bomb might be the threat, as he did not hear gunshots. He and other guests army-crawled away from the stage, fearing they might be targeted. 'It was pure fear in everybody's eyes,' he told The New York Times. 'I thought, standing up I might get shot.'
After being moved backstage, Pearlman encountered Vice President JD Vance, whom he described as 'very calm' and 'very assuring.' Security apprehended Allen alive; he allegedly shot and injured a security agent, who was protected by a bulletproof vest. Investigators are still searching for a motive, though reports suggest Allen sent a manifesto critical of Trump to his family before the attack.
Allen, a teacher from Torrance, California, is due to be arraigned in federal court on Monday. President Trump has called for another Correspondents' Dinner to be held soon.
