Teen lifeguard who saved boy at Seabright Beach meets President Trump at White House
WASHINGTON —
A 16-year-old lifeguard whose dramatic rescue of a young boy at Seabright State Beach captured national attention is meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.
Ryder Williams, the teen lifeguard, is meeting with the president in the Oval Office on Aug. 17.
The meeting had initially been listed as closed to the press, but the White House made a last-minute change and opened the meeting to members of the press.
The visit comes just over three weeks after Williams rushed into dangerous surf at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz and saved 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai on July 25.
Video of the rescue showed Williams holding onto Nathaniel as powerful waves repeatedly crashed over the two, at times completely obscuring them from view.
Williams later said he saw the boy lose his footing in ankle-deep water.
“I radioed it in, threw my radio and sunglasses at the base of my tower as I ran toward the kid,” Williams said in a statement released after the rescue.
Williams said the rough conditions prevented him from getting a rescue tube around Nathaniel. The boy eventually became limp as Williams continued holding onto him through several waves.
A second lifeguard, Aaron Bohnen, entered the water and helped Williams bring Nathaniel to shore.
Nathaniel later told The Associated Press that he does not remember much of the rescue after the wave swept him off his feet.
The 10-year-old said his next memory was of lifeguards helping him after he was brought back to shore.
“I told him I was thankful he saved my life,” Nathaniel said.
President Trump took notice of the rescue after video of it spread widely online.
In a July 28 Truth Social post, Trump praised Williams and announced plans to invite him and his family to the White House.
“We’re going to bring this heroic young man, and his family, into the White House with, perhaps, the boy he saved, to give him a High Civilian Honor,” Trump wrote. “Very brave, he deserves it!”
Trump’s son, Eric Trump, had also praised Williams, calling the rescue “truly the best of America.”
Despite the attention, Williams has repeatedly characterized what happened as simply part of his job.
“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely,” Williams said following the rescue. “This is my job and I love what I do. I’m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day.”
California State Parks said its Santa Cruz District lifeguards performed 34 rescues during the weekend of Williams’ rescue, as large surf, warm weather, and heavy crowds created dangerous conditions at area beaches.
The White House’s public live page confirms activity for Monday, Aug. 17, though I have not yet independently verified the last-minute press-access change from an official posted notice. (whitehouse.gov)