{"id":236893,"date":"2026-04-26T21:51:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T21:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/26\/mentalist-oz-pearlman-details-moment-agents-tackled-donald-trump-during-whcd-shooting\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T21:51:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T21:51:22","slug":"mentalist-oz-pearlman-details-moment-agents-tackled-donald-trump-during-whcd-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/26\/mentalist-oz-pearlman-details-moment-agents-tackled-donald-trump-during-whcd-shooting\/","title":{"rendered":"Mentalist Oz Pearlman Details Moment Agents Tackled Donald Trump During WHCD Shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Mentalist Oz Pearlman<\/strong><\/a> was performing for President Donald Trump<\/strong><\/a>, first lady Melania Trump<\/strong><\/a> and press secretary Karoline Leavitt<\/strong><\/a> at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner<\/a> on Saturday, April 24, when he realized something was very wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was performing right then for the president, the press secretary and the first lady,\u201d the magician said during a Sunday, April 26, appearance on CNN\u2019s State of the Union<\/em><\/a>. \u201cIt [was] kind of a pivotal moment in the trick where you\u2019re just about to do the reveal \u2026 and we hear commotion.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mentalist initially thought someone inside the ballroom was experiencing a medical emergency, until the gravity of the situation became palpable.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see everyone swarming one table,\u201d Pearlman continued. \u201cI didn\u2019t hear any shots or see what looked like a shooter. I thought there was about to be a bomb. I really, very much thought, \u2018Oh my god, it\u2019s about to explode,\u2019 because of the way it was being approached.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Donald Trump Says He\u2019s \u2018Honored’ to be a Target After WHCD Shooting<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tPresident Donald Trump has said he is \u201chonored\u201d to be a target following the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner shooting. \u201cWhen you look at our great presidents, [this] doesn\u2019t happen to people who don\u2019t do anything,\u201d Trump, 79, told reporters at the White House on Saturday, April 25. Multiple media outlets reported that a 30-year-old man [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Shortly after the annual event meant to celebrate the first amendment began on Saturday, a gunman attempted to charge the ballroom. The 31-year-old shooter<\/a>, armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives, was apprehended before he could enter. One Secret Service Agent was shot, but his ballistic vest protected him and he was later released from the hospital.<\/p>\n

No one else was harmed during the incident.<\/p>\n

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\n Guests take cover during the shooting at the 2026 White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner<\/span> Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The president, first lady and members of the Trump administration were all quickly evacuated<\/a> from the building. The rest of the event was canceled.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was incredibly surreal,\u201d Pearlman said on Sunday of the moment Secret Service agents tackled the president in an attempt to remove him from the premises. \u201cI kind of get down on all fours facing left, stage left. They rush across to get POTUS and the president gets taken down by Secret Service \u2014 and we don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on \u2014 and he came down.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cYou can look at the video \u2014 I don\u2019t know the distance, but less than afoot from me \u2014 I\u2019ll never forget the image for my whole life because I\u2019m on all fours, turn like this, they bring the president down directly in front of me and we just look at each other for about two seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that moment, Pearlman told CNN he thought his life was going to come to an end.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd my mind \u2014 obviously this is a huge adrenaline \u2014 was just like, \u2018Oh no, are we about to die?\u2019 Because I thought it was about to explode,\u201d Pearlman said. \u201cI thought\u2026 that really was my instinct.\u201d<\/p>\n

The performer continued, \u201cThen I heard what sounded like I thought were shots and at that point my mind shifted. I also wasn\u2019t sure if [Trump] was hurt \u2014 they pick him up, kind of, and they go out and then we\u2019re on all fours.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that point, Pearlman said he \u201carmy crawled\u201d off the stage for fear that if he stood up he would be shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to stand up because I didn\u2019t want to get hit,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, acting attorney general Todd Blanche<\/strong> told multiple media outlets that the ongoing investigation has already revealed that the shooter \u2014 an engineer and part-time teacher \u2014 was targeting Trump and top Trump administration officials.<\/p>\n

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