Donald Trump has told a 10-year-old boy who nearly drowned in the ocean that he "probably" wouldn't have saved him. The US President once again caused a stir with his remarks as he honoured a brave lifeguard who pulled a youngster from huge ocean waves at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz, California, last month.
Rescue at Seabright State Beach
Nathaniel Rai was swept into deep water, but 16-year-old Ryder Williams plunged in, grabbed the boy and clung to him as he dived beneath treacherous waves and fought his way back to shore. His dramatic rescue was captured on video by bystander Scott Vander Dussen.
Trump later shared the footage on X, announcing that he would present the "heroic young man" with a "high civilian honour". Trump's son, Eric, initially reshared the clip, declaring it "truly the best of America".
White House ceremony
At the White House, Trump said he understood that Ryder was a "winner right from the time they first saw him as a lifeguard" and hailed him as a "real hero". But what he said next was eye-opening. He said with a smile: "I don't know if I'd do it. I wouldn't, probably. You're lucky I wasn't on the service that day."
Lifeguard's humble response
As for the courageous lifeguard, his response to questions about the rescue was notably humble. Ryder, who wants to attend paramedic school and work as a firefighter, explained how he fell back on his training.
"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. I was really thinking about getting the boy out of the water as fast as I can."
"I hope everyone can take away from this is to help more people. Try to look out for everyone around you, and just try to help everybody out as much as you can."
Social media reaction
It comes after Trump was mocked online for appearing to fall asleep on the job. Meanwhile, some social media users have pushed a bizarre theory that a staff member had a "button fitted on her belly" to jolt the POTUS awake.
Footage emerged of Trump appearing to struggle to keep his eyes open in the Oval Office. Observers claimed that each time he seemed to drift off, a woman standing behind him pressed her stomach — and he appeared to wake up.
One user wrote: "She has a button fitted on her belly, and when she gets the nod that he’s asleep, she moves her hand and presses a button that wakes him. They're calling her The Zapper."
A second user wrote: "She’s called 'The Zapper'. Presses zapper on her stomach and it zaps Sleepy Don awake." A third said: "Bro's getting rebooted like a malfunctioning laptop."
