Nathanial Rai had been swept off his feet along the California coast and was rescued by a 16-year-old lifeguard, Ryder Williams. The video of the brave rescue went viral across social media, enough to be noticed by the United States President Donald Trump. On Monday, August 17, he invited both Rai and Williams to the White House for a meeting.
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While the gesture was appreciated what made many more headlines was the statement made by the 80-year-old world leader. Of Williams, Trump said to Rai: “He’s a real hero. I don’t know if I’d do it. I wouldn’t, probably. You’re lucky I wasn’t on the service that day.”
Rai, 10, donned a dark suit and maroon tie and sat on a gold couch beside his father and Trump. Across from him was Ryder and both watched Trump speak of their ordeal, a video of which went viral on the internet. The President met the lifeguard and Nathanial after saying the teen deserved a civilian honour. Trump previously said on social media that he also would be inviting Ryder to the White House to reward his bravery.
During the conversation, Williams was asked about his thought process during the heroic rescue. “In those dangerous moments that we have, we fall back on our training, and we are trained so well by many to handle that situation as best we can,” he said. “I was really thinking about getting the boy out of the water as fast as I can.”
He added that he wants to continue helping people and hoped to go to paramedic school and become a firefighter. “I hope everyone can take away from this is to help more people,” Williams said. “Try to look out for everyone around you, and just try to help everybody out as much as you can.”
A dramatic video of the rescue went viral in late July. It showed Ryder clinging to Nathaniel as pounding waves repeatedly crashed over them. The pair disappeared from view and reemerged after several seconds as the wave receded. A second lifeguard, Aaron Bohnen, was eventually able to help get them both back to shore at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz, California.
Trump initially commented on the video in response to a post from his son, Eric Trump, who said Ryder deserved “the highest civilian honour”. Meanwhile, Nathanial’s father, Sumit, told the Associated Press of Ryder: “What he did, I can never repay. I’m forever grateful.”
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