WHCD Shooting Mentalist Oz Pearlman Describes Moments with POTUS ... 'Are We About to Die?'

Published April 26, 2026 8:08 AM PDT

Mentalist Oz Pearlman is recounting the heart-stopping moments from inside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, describing the moments after chaos erupted, and how close he was to the President when it all went down.

Pearlman says everything seemed normal as he was doing a big reveal for one of his tricks ... until sudden commotion broke out across the room.

At first, he wasn’t even sure what he was hearing, telling CNN, “I thought maybe it was a medical emergency,” adding that initial confusion quickly turned into fear when he realized what he heard sounded like gunshots.

He recalls seeing people swarm tables and drop to the ground, and before he hit the floor himself, his mind went somewhere even darker, saying he didn't immediately think it was a shooter ... "I thought there was about to be a bomb.”

Pearlman says Secret Service agents rushed to President Donald Trump and took him down right in front of him, which he described as a "tackle" -- adding he wasn’t sure if the President had been injured in the takedown, saying "that would hurt anyone, I don’t care what age you are."

The mentalist details the intense moment he shared with the U.S. leader, saying they looked at each other for about two seconds while on the ground, and his immediate thought was, “Oh no, are we about to die?”

As the situation unfolded, he says his survival instincts kicked in fast as he and others began army crawling to get out of the danger zone, worried an active shooter could still be nearby.

As we previously reported ... TMZ confirmed the armed suspect arrested in connection with the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen.

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for D.C., said the suspect is currently facing two charges: using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. He will appear in federal court Monday for his arraignment.