White House Correspondents’ Dinner performer recalls tense moment with Trump during shooting

Politics
27 Apr 2026 • 4:57 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

White House Correspondents’ Dinner performer recalls tense moment with Trump during shooting

  • During the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, mentalist Oz Pearlman and President Donald Trump briefly crouched together on the floor after a shooting incident caused chaos.
  • Pearlman described the intense fear and adrenaline, recalling a moment he shared a glance with President Trump, unsure if they were in danger.
  • “We just look at each other for about two seconds, and my mind, obviously, this is like a huge adrenaline [rush], is just like, ‘Oh no, are we about to die?’” he remembers thinking.
  • Pearlman said he initially did not hear any gunshots, so he thought the agents might be trying to protect the president from a bomb.
  • The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was apprehended after allegedly shooting and injuring a security agent, who was protected by a bulletproof vest.

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