Donald Trump ‘Wasn't Worried’ as Gunfire Disrupted the WHCA Dinner Amid Oz Pearlman’s Performance

Right before the White House Correspondents' Dinner suddenly turned into chaos, President Donald Trump said he was watching a mentalist perform on stage. Speaking with CBS News, Trump reflected on the gunfire incident that erupted at the Washington Hilton.

Trump detailed that while the 31-year-old teacher rushed toward the ballroom with two guns and began shooting at law enforcement officers, he and his wife, alongside Karoline Leavitt were watching mentalist Oz Pearlman perform a magic trick. Fortunately, no attendees were killed, and the suspect was taken into custody.

During an interview on 60 Minutes with CBS anchor Norah O'Donnell, Donald Trump was asked about the shocking incident that took place at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night. He revealed that mentalist Oz Pearlman was hosting the dinner.

According to the President, Pearlman had accepted a challenge from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to guess the name she had chosen for her unborn daughter. Therefore, the mentalist was working letter by letter on a sheet of notebook paper while approaching the President at the table to greet him.

Reflecting on that event, O'Donnell asked Trump, "I was in the room not far from you, Mr. President. I could hear what sounded like gunshots or commotion. People nearby could smell the gunpowder. Everybody hit the floor. How worried were you that there were going to be injuries?"

"I wasn't worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world," Trump said. Further, when asked about the exact moment he realized something was wrong, the President replied, "Right around that point. In fact, you can see the expression on the First Lady's face and your president of the evening…”

He continued, “They were asking the name of Karoline's child, whom he didn't know, I guess.” Further, when told that Melania Trump appeared alarmed, the President said, “I don't want to say, and people don't like having it said that they were scared. But certainly, I mean, who wouldn't be when you have a situation like that?”

After Donald Trump shared his version of the event that unfolded at the White House dinner, ABC News reached out to Oz Pearlman to learn in detail about the incident. Speaking with correspondent Jonathan Karl, the mentalist revealed, he was speaking with Karoline Leavitt and the Trumps when the disaster took place.

He was showing them a piece of paper where he had written the name of Leavitt's unborn daughter, as she had challenged him to figure it out. “Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, challenged me and said, ‘I’m having a baby next week’. We were talking about it because we both have children,” Pearlman said.

He continued, “And she goes, ‘Can you guess what I’m naming my daughter?’ And so this was happening backstage. We were interrupted because the president walked in. And so I said, ‘Let’s save it for when we get up on the dais.’” Pearlman then went up to the President and his wife to introduce himself and play the trick on Leavitt.

He said, “I was coming to say hello to the president and to the first lady, and I was guessing letter by letter how many letters were in [Leavitt’s unborn child’s] name. Then right at the moment where you see it happen, I wrote down the name and I said, ‘How did I do?’ And I turned around and that’s when you see the first lady go, ‘Oh! Is that the name?’”

However, before the Press Secretary could confirm that it was indeed the name she had chosen for her daughter, the gunman, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, opened fire. He was later captured and taken into custody. After the scene was under control, Pearlman revealed receiving Leavitt's permission to share the name.

“I believe the name is Vivian. So yeah, that’s what I guessed” he said.