White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting: 'Mentalist' Recalls Frightening Moment Performing for Trump
During a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, 'mentalist' Oz Pearlman was performing for President Trump and others. He told the BBC about the terrifying moment he made eye contact with Trump while both were taking cover. President Trump later stated he 'was not worried.'
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 23:53
- 🔍 Collected: April 28, 2026 at 00:02 (8 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 01:30 (1h 28m after Collected)
Central News Agency (London, April 27, Comprehensive Foreign Report) - During a recent White House Correspondents' Dinner, a shooting incident occurred. 'Mentalist' Oz Pearlman, who was performing for the President and First Lady among other guests at the time, described to the BBC the frightening moment he made eye contact with Trump while both were taking cover.
Pearlman told the BBC that at the time of the incident, he was speaking with President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
He said, "I quickly ducked down, and the Secret Service then pushed Trump down, and I would say (their handling) was very effective, but quite rough."
"We were only about half a meter apart... making eye contact on the ground, and at that moment, I heard gunshots, and I thought: 'We're going to die.'"
Footage from the event showed Pearlman holding a piece of paper, standing behind the three distinguished guests.
Pearlman said that the White House spokesperson was about to have a baby recently, and he was guessing the number of letters in the baby's name. Just as he tore off a piece of paper to show the name, he heard gunshots.
Pearlman described how he stared into Trump's eyes on the ground for about one or two seconds, praying he wouldn't die there. About "two seconds later," the Secret Service took Trump away, and he and two other people nearby eventually "crawled out" to safety.
Trump stated in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" program yesterday that he "was not worried" at the time. He said, "I understand life, we live in a crazy world." (Compiled by: Yang Zhao-yan) 1150427
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Pearlman told the BBC that at the time of the incident, he was speaking with President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
He said, "I quickly ducked down, and the Secret Service then pushed Trump down, and I would say (their handling) was very effective, but quite rough."
"We were only about half a meter apart... making eye contact on the ground, and at that moment, I heard gunshots, and I thought: 'We're going to die.'"
Footage from the event showed Pearlman holding a piece of paper, standing behind the three distinguished guests.
Pearlman said that the White House spokesperson was about to have a baby recently, and he was guessing the number of letters in the baby's name. Just as he tore off a piece of paper to show the name, he heard gunshots.
Pearlman described how he stared into Trump's eyes on the ground for about one or two seconds, praying he wouldn't die there. About "two seconds later," the Secret Service took Trump away, and he and two other people nearby eventually "crawled out" to safety.
Trump stated in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" program yesterday that he "was not worried" at the time. He said, "I understand life, we live in a crazy world." (Compiled by: Yang Zhao-yan) 1150427
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you provide is a force protecting press freedom.
Download Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio-visual content on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.