President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, July 28th, 2026, that a teenage lifeguard who helped rescue a child from powerful waves in Santa Cruz, California, will receive the "highest civilian honor."

Trump wrote on Truth Social, "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."

The unnamed teen shared the rescue effort with another lifeguard to save a 10-year-old boy who had lost his balance and was swept away by the current at Seabright State Beach. Bystander Scott Vander Dussen told Nexstar’s KRON, "Just a couple seconds difference, and I think this would have ended a lot different."

The rescue video went viral online and caught the attention of Eric Trump, who praised the lifeguards on the social platform X, saying, "This is truly the best of America! Well done."

Massive waves recently struck the eastern Pacific Ocean due to tropical cyclones, creating hazardous conditions at the beach.

Sources