US President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, other Cabinet members and federal officials were evacuated safely out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night after a man opened fire with a shotgun on security personnel. According to the news agency Reuters, the armed man fired at a Secret Service agent, and Trump later told the reporters at the White House that the officer was saved by his bulletproof vest.
The suspect has been arrested.
Also read | Pinned On Ground: Trump Releases Photo Of White House Press Dinner Shooter
Who is Oz Pearlman?
When the incident happened, Trump was busy with a performer, whose name is Oz Pearlman, an American mentalist and magician known for “mind-reading” and interactive mentalism. As per Bloomberg, he was performing a trick, trying to guess the name of the baby Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is expecting, when shots were fired.
The 43-year-old rose to fame as a third-place finisher on America’s Got Talent Season 10 in 2015 and has since built a career performing for corporate clients, athletes and TV audiences.
He’s appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, The Ellen Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Hard Knocks and ESPN’s ESPY Awards. He won an Emmy in 2018 for his NBC travel show Oz Knows.
Right before Trump is rushed off stage… a man holds up a card 👀
One second later, Melania reacts with an expression of horror on her face 😳
He is a “mentalist” named Oz Pearlman who was performing.
I believe we just witnessed something much darker than we want to realize… pic.twitter.com/JnDs49Skf6
— Matt Wallace (@MattWallace888) April 26, 2026
Trump is escorted out as a shooter opens fire.
Photo Credit: Reuters
Also read | Video Shows Trump Event Shooter Charging Towards Press Dinner Venue
At Saturday’s event, Pearlman was the featured entertainer. It was a break from tradition as the WHCA usually books a comedian to roast the president and press. Comedian Amber Ruffin was slated for 2025 but was dropped preemptively after tensions with the Trump administration. Previous entertainers include Trevor Noah, Roy Wood Jr. and Colin Jost.
The 2026 dinner was especially notable because Trump attended for the first time during either of his presidencies.
Pearlman said his goal was to “bring us together” and give the room 25 minutes of laughter and jaw-dropping moments instead of political jabs. He hinted Trump would participate, saying “reading Donald Trump’s mind is arguably the most impressive thing you could ever do”.
Guests can be seen taking cover after the shooting incident.
Photo Credit: Reuters
Also read | “Violence Has No Place In Democracy”: PM Modi On Shooting At Trump Event
“Can I read Trump’s mind?”
“Making time to prepare to host the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has not been easy,” Pearlman wrote in a column for The Spectator ahead of the event.
“… and my preparation for the big night on April 25 is always simmering below the surface. It feels as if reading minds for the last 30 years has been training for this moment.”
He further wrote that his goal is to have Trump take part in his act. “If I could read only one mind in this world, it would be that of the most powerful person in the world. No one has ever really managed to predict what the President will say or do or think next,” he further wrote.
“Maybe I will finally get a chance to unlock that puzzle. Trump is a figure unlike any other, and also in some ways the hardest to read. I think that’s by design. He has such an authenticity. You know that there is no way he would be in on what I’m doing.
He had also mentioned that he won’t roast people and will be “telling more jokes than I normally do because the dinner is meant to have a comedy element”.
“I will poke a little bit of lighthearted fun, like I usually do at my shows, at all sides: the right, the left, the center and everyone in between. I am apolitical. I know why I was hired and it’s not to make people feel uncomfortable. It’s not to separate people or call them out in a certain way. The idea is to unite everybody in a sense of wonder and amazement,” he wrote.
“When I found out in January they wanted to book me, my first reaction was, ‘Is this a mistake?’ Maybe an intern is a huge fan and they’re going to phone back and say, ‘Sorry, we called the wrong person.’ I thought they always booked a comedian. Then I heard through the grapevine that they were specifically looking not to have a comedian this year because they want President Trump to show up. With comedians in the past, he’s found it a bit too inflammatory and the roasting is not to his taste. It must have worked because he is attending.”