Mentalist Oz Perlman shared that he was attempting to figure out the name of Caroline Leavitt’s baby girl, who’s due next month, when chaos erupted at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“The press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, mentioned, ‘Just take a shot, I’m having the baby next week.’ Do you have any idea what I’ll name my daughter?” Perlman recounted to an ABC News reporter on Sunday.
“That was what was happening before everything got disrupted with the president’s entrance. I thought, ‘I’ll keep guessing until I’m back at my desk.'”
“I was trying to figure it out, going letter by letter and counting how many there would be. Then, when the incident happened, I jotted down the name and asked, ‘Was I right?’ turning to see what was going on.”
Before unveiling the name, Perlman mentioned he thought it had six or seven letters.
“She confirmed it,” he said. “I said, ‘Does it start with a V?’ and the first lady asked, ‘How does he know that?'”
Perlman then inquired, “What name would you choose that starts with a V?” It turned out to be Weijia. Jiang, the president of the White House Correspondents Association, gasped, while the first lady seemed in disbelief. “That’s my daughter’s name,” Leavitt confirmed.
During the event, Perlman was seen tearing up a piece of paper with “Vivian” written on it just moments before he ducked behind a table. He stated that Mr. Leavitt allowed him to share the name.
Perlman admitted that in the midst of the pandemonium, he thought, “Aren’t we going to die soon?”
“When I went to the ground and crawled on my hands and knees, I braced for impact, fearing a bomb might explode,” he recalled.
“I watched two Secret Service agents dive in to protect the president, and by a stroke of luck, the president got pulled down right beside me.”
As the chaos unfolded, he thought to himself, ‘Are we going to die soon?’ That was honestly my first reaction.”
Perlman shared with USA Today that he was merely “one foot” away from President Trump at that moment.
“That image is etched in my memory,” he remarked, reflecting on his experience as he scrambled for safety.
Allen, a 31-year-old shooter, stormed the Washington Hilton armed with a knife and gun before heading towards the dining area, where he was apprehended.
He stated, “Regime officials, except for Mr. Patel, are targets, ranked from most to least important,” he noted.
“As for the Secret Service, aim for them only if absolutely necessary, and try to incapacitate non-lethally if you can. And I sincerely hope they’re wearing body armor.”
As for hotel security, he added, “Avoid targeting me unless I’m shot at.”
Allen, who graduated from Caltech and received a Teacher of the Month award in December 2024 from C2 Education, reportedly sent an apology essay to his family about ten minutes before the attack.
He faces charges including assault on a federal officer and using a firearm during an assault.
A Secret Service agent was struck, but the bullet hit his protective vest.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro in Washington, D.C., indicated that more charges could be forthcoming.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche mentioned that Allen, who referred to himself as a “friendly federal assassin,” was not cooperating with law enforcement.
