President Donald Trump welcomed a 16-year-old California lifeguard to the White House on Monday, honoring the teenager for saving a 10-year-old boy from dangerous Pacific surf.
Ryder Williams met with Trump in the Oval Office alongside Nathaniel Rai, the child he rescued at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz on July 25. Their parents and California State Parks Aquatic Superintendent Justin McHenry also attended the meeting.
“This is a great story,” Trump said, according to KTVU. The president called it an honor to meet Williams and praised the teenager’s training and work as a lifeguard.
Trump had announced the invitation on Truth Social after footage of the rescue spread online. In the July 28 post, the president called Williams “very brave” and said he wanted to bring the teenager and his family to the White House to receive what Trump described as a “High Civilian Honor.”
The White House meeting recognized Williams’ heroism, although publicly available reporting did not identify a specific federal medal or formally named civilian decoration presented during the event.
Williams was stationed about 20 yards away when he saw Nathaniel lose his footing in shallow water and get pulled into the surf, according to a statement shared by California State Parks.
“I radioed it in, threw my radio and sunglasses at the base of my tower as I ran toward the kid,” Williams recalled.
Video captured Williams racing into the water with a rescue tube and reaching Nathaniel as powerful waves crashed over them. A second lifeguard later helped bring the pair safely back to shore.
Nathaniel briefly lost consciousness during the ordeal, according to his father, Sumit Rai. Rai told ABC-owned station KGO that he believed a delay of only a few more seconds could have produced a devastating outcome.
“I cannot express sufficient gratitude,” Rai said, explaining that nothing was more valuable to him than his children.
A high-surf advisory was in effect at the time of the rescue. Seabright Beach has a steep shoreline and heavy surf that can break close to shore, California State Parks said.
Williams told Trump that extensive training helped him respond when Nathaniel was in danger.
“In those dangerous moments that we have, we always try to fall back on our training,” Williams said during Monday’s meeting, according to KTVU.
The teenager also credited the lifeguards who trained him and emphasized that protecting swimmers is part of the job. Williams reportedly completed additional rescues on the same day.
“This is my job and I love what I do,” Williams said in his earlier California State Parks statement. “I’m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day.”
Williams told the president that he hopes to attend paramedic school and eventually become a firefighter. He also encouraged others to watch out for the people around them and help whenever they can.
“I hope that everybody can take away from this and try to help more people,” Williams said.
Trump’s recognition placed a national spotlight on an act of courage that Williams has consistently described as the product of preparation, teamwork and public service.
