Magician's trick that shocked Melania Trump at Correspondents' Dinner as shots fired
Mentalist Oz Pearlman has revealed the trick he performed in front of First Lady Melania Trump just moments before shots were heard at the White House correspondents' dinner.
A suspect identified as Cole Tomas Allen is said to have opened fire at a security checkpoint, striking one agent in the chest, who was saved by his bulletproof vest.
Allen has now been charged with attempting to assassinate the President of the United States, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and the transportation of a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony.
Before the night descended into chaos, many were left questioning what Pearlman had written on the note that had Melania Trump in shock. Now, he’s revealed he was trying to guess the name of press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s baby girl.
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In the video circulating online, Pearlman can be seen holding up a sign which reads ‘Viviane,’ in front of President Donald Trump, the First Lady, and Leavitt, moments before the gunshots were heard.
Explaining all to ABC News, Pearlman said he and Leavitt had first met backstage, where the press secretary had asked him to guess the name of her baby she’s due to give birth to next week.
However, Pearlman revealed they were interrupted by the president walking in - and therefore, told Leavitt they would save the trick for when they got up on the stage.
Later on in the evening, Pearlman came over to introduce himself to the president, and perform the trick.
“I was guessing letter by letter, how many letters were in the name, and then right at the moment when you see it happen, I wrote down the name," he told the outlet. "I asked how did I do? And that's when you see First Lady [gasp] and she says, ‘Ah, is that the name?’”
Leavitt has given permission for Pearlman to share the name he wrote down, which was Viviane.
However, they were then quickly interrupted by the sound of gunshots, before the president, first lady and Cabinet Officials were swiftly evacuated.
Explaining what happened in the surreal moment, Pearlman said he thought: “‘Are we about to die?’”
“When I dropped down, and dropped down to all fours, and I’m waiting and bracing because I think a bomb’s going to go off,” he said.
After the incident, President Donald Trump spoke out about his wife’s reaction. “Melania was very conscious of what happened. I think she knew immediately what had happened - she was saying ‘that’s a bad noise’. We were whisked away along with other people,” he said.
He then praised the law enforcement officials by adding: “The performance of the secret service, the police - all of law enforcement - was really very good.
“It was very quick. There wasn’t much time to be thinking as it was mere seconds before we were out the door.”
The suspected gunman, Cole Tomas Allan, is scheduled to be arraigned before a federal court on Monday (April 27).
Topics: Donald Trump, Melania Trump, US News
Kiesha Dosanjh