“A trick arranged behind the scenes”: The illusionist revealed what was written on the paper he showed Melania Trump before the shooting – World

The event, held on Saturday, was eventually called off after the gunman opened fire, reports say Index.hr.

A trick arranged behind the scenes

. @OzTheMentalist reveals the trick he had just performed on Karoline Leavitt when the shooting happened last night at the White House correspondents’ dinner.

He figured out the name of @PressSec ‘s soon to be born child pic.twitter.com/ejxU1E01Jg

— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) April 26, 2026

In an interview with ABC, Perlman explained how the trick came about. “Caroline Levitt, the White House press secretary, said to me, ‘I challenge you. I’m due to give birth next week.’ It was happening behind the scenes. We were interrupted because the president was coming, so I said: ‘Let’s save it for the moment when we go on stage,'” the mentalist said.

Later, he took the stage to greet the Trumps and then began performing a trick aimed at Levitt.

Guessing the name in a viral moment

“I went up to greet the president and the first lady, and I guessed, letter by letter, how many letters were in the name of Levita’s unborn child. At the moment you can see in the video, I wrote down the name and asked, ‘Did I guess?’ I turned around and then you see the first lady saying, ‘Oh! Is that the name?'” Perlman described the moment captured in a video that went viral on social media.

He added that Levitt gave him permission to reveal the name he wrote on the paper.

“I believe the name is Vivian. Yes, I guessed that,” he said.

What happened?

The shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a glamorous event in Washington often referred to as “the prom for politicians and journalists,” instantly turned an evening of satire, speeches and the red carpet into a scene of chaos and panic.

According to US media reports, a gunman tried to break through the security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton Hotel while Donald Trump, Melania Trump, J.D. Vance, members of the administration and hundreds of guests were inside, after which shots rang out, and the guests ended up under the tables while security rushed the top officials to safety.

According to AP, the attacker was subdued before he could enter the main hall, and there were no serious injuries among the approximately 2,300 guests, although the incident immediately ended the evening that was supposed to celebrate the media and freedom of speech.