Trump's Trials - Can a mentalist trick Trump? Oz Pearlman will try in a room full of journalists

Episode Date: April 24, 2026

The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, a century-old night of mingling for politicians and political journalists, won't feature a roast by a comedian this year. Instead, bucking decades of tradition, Saturday's headliner is a mentalist. NPR's Rachel Treisman reports.Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

I'm Scott Detrow, and this is Trump's terms from NPR. Every episode, we bring you one story from NPR's coverage of the Trump administration with the focus on actions and policies that take the presidency into uncharted territory. Here's the latest from NPR. From NPR News, I'm Michelle Martin. This year's White House correspondent's dinner is unusual for two reasons. President Trump plans to be there for the first time since taking office. And the headliner is a mentalist who wants to read Trump's.

Mine. NPR's Rachel Treasman reports it's a big spotlight on a niche form of magic. You've probably seen O's Proman in social media clips, seemingly guessing Anderson Cooper's dream guest or blowing podcaster Joe Rogan away with how much he seems to know. How'd I do, Joe? Is that your ATM pin code? Yeah. In his two decades as a full-time mentalist, Perlman has convinced clients from Fortune 500 CEOs to pro athletes to the Kardashians that he can read their minds. He will face an especially scrutinizing crowd at Saturday's White House Correspondence Dinner, performing for a room full of political journalists, government officials, and President Trump. When we initially got the call, it was several months ago, and I thought,

did they make a mistake? Because it's always a comedian. For decades, the exclusive DC dinner has been headlined by well-known comedians, like recurring host Jay Leno. But Perlman says the Correspondence Association changed direction for a reason. My job is to bring us together. He knows that people in the room disagree fiercely on how the country is being run. But for just 25 minutes, he wants everyone to be united in their amusement and hopefully amazement. You're going to leave the room in a better mood than you walked in. And I think as a country, we need that at times. Pearlman is especially excited that Trump is planning to attend this year for the first time since 2011.

I think that reading Donald Trump's mind is arguably the most impressive thing you could ever do. specifically for the fact that he's the present, specifically for his character and the fact that he prides himself on being difficult to read. Pearlman is not actually going to read anyone's mind. I only have two tricks up my sleeve. My whole profession is I reveal secret information or I appear to plant my thoughts in others' minds. Mentalism, like other kinds of magic, involves a series of tricks, including research, suggestion, and showmanship. As a card-carrying member of the Society of American Magicians, if I reveal too much, I will be killed. That's Alexander George, a mentalist and a philosophy professor at Amherst College.

But it's through a combination of psychological techniques, keen observation, a quickness in taking advantage of fortuitous circumstances, and devilish trickery that a mentalist will succeed. Mentalists can be so successful that audiences may, not realize it's an act. And that raises some ethical concerns, explains Anthony Barnhart. He's a magician turned psychological science professor at Carthage College. Presenting these abilities as real lends legitimacy to psychics who are exploiting the bereaved, who take your money claiming that they can talk to your dead relatives or predict your future.

That's why some mentalists issue a disclaimer during their shows. Others, like Pearlman, present themselves as uncanny readers of body language. But George says there's still magic involved. The participant could be basically dead or comatose, and they would still be able to pull off the trick. Perlman is upfront that mentalism is a learned skill. He's clear that he's doing tricks, but he'll never reveal how. I am creating memorable and amazing moments that are built on deception.

He hopes Saturday will be one of them. Rachel Treesman, NPR News. And before we wrap up, a thank you to our NPR Plus supporters who hear each show without sponsored messages and, of course, who help protect independent journalism. If you are not a supporter yet, you can visit plus.npr.org to find out how you can get a ton of podcast perks across dozens of NPR shows, like bonus episodes, exclusive merchandise, and more. Again, that's plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's Terms from NPR.