‘What you did was incredible’: Trump meets California’s teenage lifeguard and the boy he rescued
US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) met a teenage lifeguard and the boy he rescued off the California coast, praising the rescue and the boy’s composure during the ordeal as “incredible.”Sixteen-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams and 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai were honoured at a White House ceremony also attended by their families, days after Trump announced that he would invite the pair to recognise their bravery.“What you did was incredible, and everybody saw it,” he told the duo, referring to a viral video of the July rescue in Santa Cruz. “When I first saw it, I said, ‘roll that back, I want to see that again.’”Asked about the moment, Williams credited his training for helping him react quickly.“In those dangerous moments that we have, we always try to fall back on our training,” he recalled. “I really was thinking about how to get the boy out of the water as fast as I can.”Nathaniel, seated beside his father and sister, nodded as Trump recounted the rescue.“Your father is the happiest man in the world,” the president told him, adding that the boy deserved respect for how he handled the emergency. “The way Nathaniel handled it was — he was cool, considering the problems.”Trump then invited the pair to see the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House. When Williams spoke about his ambition to become a firefighter, the president suggested he might be getting “some good recommendations.”“He’s a real hero,” Trump added. “I don’t know if I’d do it. I wouldn’t probably. You’re lucky I wasn’t on the service that day.”After the rescue video drew widespread attention online last month, Trump joined others in sharing the footage. In a post on Truth Social, he called for the boys to be honoured.During the Oval Office ceremony, he also praised Williams for his “tremendous grace” during the rescue.“It’s so amazing to see this happen, to see it before your eyes,” Trump remarked. “I’ve seen rescues before. I’ve never seen anything quite like this.”Videos of the rescue have been viewed millions of times worldwide. The footage shows Williams holding onto Nathaniel as powerful waves repeatedly crash over them. At one point, the two disappear underwater for several seconds before emerging from the surf, with Williams continuing to pull Nathaniel toward shore.(With AP inputs)
