The man who was on the floor and face-to-face with Donald Trump in the moments after Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is headlining a Strip theater Friday night.
Famed mentalist Oz Pearlman was performing a close-up trick for Trump, first lady Melania Trump and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt when gunshots were heard in the Washington Hilton Ballroom.
In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday, Pearlman said he hit the floor on all-fours just before secret service agents “tackled” him and Trump and threw him hard to the ground under the event’s dais.
“He came down, less than a foot away from me, and I’ll never forget the image for my whole life,” Pearlman said. “We just look at each other for about two seconds.”
At that moment, Pearlman said he thought, “Oh no, are we about to die?’”
The mentalist said Trump was taken down so hard, “I couldn’t tell if he was injured or hurt. The way he was taken down was quite sudden and lightly violent … It was really shocking.”
Pearlman was working on a routine in which he asked Leavitt to think of a name, which he had written earlier on a note card. Pearlman later told ABC News Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl he had the guessed the name, “Vivian,” correctly, showing it to the group just as the disruption unfolded.
The incident took place just as Pearlman is due to appear at Encore Theater. Many tickets remain on sale for that date. Pearlman was also a featured guest performer at the 2025 Raiders Foundation Gala at Allegiant Stadium. He performed a series of mind tricks for the crowd, a performance that helped lead him to his own show on the Strip.
Prior to the event, Pearlman said his appearance would be a night to remember. He was correct about that.
“Unfortunately, I said that the clip with me and President Trump would be seen five years, 10 years, 20 years from now, and that was spot-on,” Pearlman said, “But for all the wrong reasons.”
The @OzTheMentalist appearance on @cnn. Harrowing episode days before he is to perform @WynnLasVegas … @neonlasvegas pic.twitter.com/Jfjy2U68BZ
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) April 26, 2026
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.