I have always been a fan of magic, and as a kid, I was a little amateur magician with my hat, cape, and false thumb. I’ve dragged my wife to David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, and Criss Angel, among others, and we have been lucky enough to visit the Magic Castle, the Harry Potter-esque magicians’ club in Hollywood where they hone their craft and put on exclusive shows. The best, to me, are the close-up ones, where they literally make things disappear right before your eyes.
One art that I’ve never understood at all is “mentalism.” Frankly, I have no idea how these dudes do what they do (and I don’t really want to know — I like the mystery).
Many wondered in the aftermath of the awful White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting on Saturday night, just what was mentalist Oz Pearlman showing to President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt moments before the chaos broke out?
Oz told ABC News' Jonathan Karl on Sunday that he was guessing the name of Leavitt’s soon-to-be-born baby — and he was right. Although things took a dark turn, as we know, that's still pretty cool:
The mentalist said that, just before the event started, he was speaking with Leavitt, who challenged him to guess the name of her unborn baby. Leavitt, 28, said last week that the child she is expecting with husband Nicholas Riccio, a daughter, is due "any minute."
As they took the stage to be seated for the event, Pearlman recalled, "I was guessing letter by letter how many letters were in the name."
"And then I right at the moment where you see it happen, I wrote down the name and I said, 'How did I do?' " he continued. "I turned around, and that's when you see the first lady go, 'Oh!' and she goes, 'Is that the name?' And that's the moment where [the shooting incident] happened."
Watch:
🚨 Mentalist Oz Perlman reveals the trick he performed when the shooting happened at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. He figured out the name of Karoline Leavitt’s unborn child. pic.twitter.com/1cdsLLUCFf
— kekius tees (@kekiusteeshirt) April 26, 2026
MORE: That Ironic Moment Liberal Media Realizes Even Their Base Isn't Believing Them After WHCD Shooting (VIP)
Morning Minute: Widows Don't 'Glow'
Naturally, the haters on social media are taking what was a cool moment and turning it into their usual TDS-riddled rants, slamming Oz for not predicting the shooting that broke out almost at that exact instant. That they can take a nice, human moment and turn it into something spiteful tells you even more about them and how far they’ve drifted from decency.
Oh… He’s Israeli-born and holds dual citizenship. That might explain some things.
Pearlman brought a moment of magic before the dark forces in America brought their usual vision of death and destruction:
A moment of Mentalism ?
— Richard Willett (@WTAFRich) April 26, 2026
The guy holding the paper is stage mentalist Oz Pearlman, Israeli born. His father was a lieutenant commander in the Israeli Navy.
Oz (Wizard) Pearlman quote "It is most important to influence what story is told about an experience, rather than the… pic.twitter.com/EC1PCFwcP8
A moment of Mentalism ?
The guy holding the paper is stage mentalist Oz Pearlman, Israeli born. His father was a lieutenant commander in the Israeli Navy.
Oz (Wizard) Pearlman quote "It is most important to influence what story is told about an experience, rather than the experience itself"
If you don’t believe that Oz is good at what he does, look at how he flabbergasted Joe Rogan:
Look at the expression on Joe Rogan’s face after Oz Pearlman, “The Mentalist”, reveals that he knows Joe’s ATM pin code during his podcast. pic.twitter.com/zQ8QwLgx0o
— Murray 🇺🇸 (@Rothbard1776) April 26, 2026
Rogan: "Yeah, I don't like that."
Pearlman, who called the night the “scariest moment of my life,” was scheduled to appear on Jimmy Kimmel’s odious show on Monday night, but dropped out for unspecified reasons. Even more points for him.
Even on an evening where humanity showed its most sinister side, Pearlman brought a little magic. Luckily, on that night, the dark force was defeated — as we must continue to combat it with all means possible until it is extinguished.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy RedState's conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member