President Donald Trump turned a White House celebration honoring a teenage hero into a tense exchange with a CNN reporter Monday after she pressed him about his administration’s decision to scale back U.S. military exercises with South Korea.
Trump had invited 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams to the Oval Office after the California teenager made headlines for saving a 10-year-old boy from dangerous surf off the coast of Santa Cruz. Nathaniel Rai, the boy Williams rescued, also attended the meeting with his father and family members.
The dramatic rescue took place at Seabright Beach in July, when powerful waves and rip currents pulled Nathaniel into the ocean. Williams, a first-year lifeguard, immediately entered the dangerous water and eventually reached the boy, who had become unconscious. Another lifeguard later assisted in bringing Nathaniel back to shore.
