By Emel Akan
Contributing Writer
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump welcomed 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams to the White House on Monday, honoring him for his bravery in rescuing a young boy from dangerous surf at a California beach last month.
“I’ve seen surfs, I’ve seen rescues before. I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” Trump said during the meeting. “It’s been a great thing for your profession, and people are going to respect it even more.”
On July 25, Ryder heroically dived into pounding waves to save 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai at Seabright Beach, about 6 miles east of the popular Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
A witness captured and posted on Instagram a video of the rescue, which quickly went viral.
The video shows Ryder running into the rough water and grabbing Nathaniel around the chest. The boy appears exhausted, goes limp, and is unable to hold onto the lifeguard as relentless waves crash over them.
The two are overtaken by high surf several times before Ryder is able to pull the boy close enough to shore for assistance from another lifeguard and members of the public.
“What you did was incredible, and everybody saw it,” Trump told Ryder. “You’d watch it over and over. I know when I first saw it, I said, ‘Roll that back! I want to see that again.’”
“He’s a real hero,” Trump said of Ryder.
Trump then turned to Nathaniel, calling him a “lucky guy.”
“God was watching you, right?” he said to the boy.
Three days after the incident, Trump announced on social media that he would invite the lifeguard 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 said on X on July 28. “Very brave, he deserves it!”
Ryder, Nathaniel, and their families attended the Oval Office meeting, along with state parks and public safety officials from the Santa Cruz area.
Sumit Rai, the young boy’s father, thanked Ryder for saving his son’s life.
“It’s incredible what Ryder did. I’m just beyond grateful to him and Aaron and the rest of the team, and even the good Samaritans that were there,” Rai said.
Aaron Bohnen, the lifeguard who assisted Ryder during the rescue, also attended the White House meeting along with Justin McHenry, assistant chief of aquatics and lifeguard operations in Santa Cruz.
Asked about his future plans, Ryder said he hopes to attend paramedic school and become a firefighter in the future.
Ryder’s father, Shane Williams, a retired firefighter, told the president he was proud of his son.
Trump also praised Shannon Williams, the lifeguard’s mother, telling her: “You did a good job. It’s good genetics.”
Jill MacLaughlin contributed to this report.
