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Trump says teen lifeguard in viral rescue will get ‘highest civilian honor’
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President Trump on Tuesday said a teen lifeguard who saved a child from roaring waves in Santa Cruz, Calif. will be given the "highest civilian honor." "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," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Very brave, he deserves it!" he added. The teen, who has not yet been named, shared the responsibility of rescuing a 10-year-old boy who lost his balance and was swept away in the current with another lifeguard. Multiple people watched from the shore at Seabright State Beach as the two worked together to save the child's life. "Just a couple seconds difference, and I think this would have ended a lot different," bystander Scott Vander Dussen told Nexstar's KRON. Massive waves recently struck the eastern Pacific Ocean as a result of tropical cyclones. Viral video of last weekend's rescue from the current spread across the internet and gained the attention of Eric Trump, who suggested that the team received the "highest civilian honor" which is traditionally considered the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "Give this 16-year-old lifeguard the highest civilian honor. This is truly the best of America! Well done," Eric wrote in a Monday post to the social platform X. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
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