Watch: Trump honors hero teen lifeguard

President Trump welcomed 16-year-old California lifeguard Ryder Williams to the Oval Office on Monday, honoring the teen for a dramatic ocean rescue that went viral last month.

Williams pulled 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai from a powerful rip current at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz on July 25, his very first rescue on the job. Video of the save spread rapidly online, catching the attention of Eric Trump, who publicly called for Williams to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Both Williams and Rai joined Trump in the Oval Office along with their families. “I understand he was a winner right from the time they first saw him as a lifeguard,” Trump said of Williams, before turning to Rai: “You’re gonna have a long and beautiful life.”

The White House visit fulfilled a promise Trump made after the video surfaced, when he said on Truth Social he wanted to bring Williams “into the White House… to give him a High Civilian Honor.” The type of award has not yet been formally announced.

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Photo credit: The White House