A 13-year-old girl from Pennsylvania had a “once in a lifetime opportunity” when she met both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump within minutes on Wednesday, capturing a viral moment of Biden wearing a “Trump 2024” hat.
Schools in Shanksville were closed as roads were blocked for Biden and Trump’s visit to the memorial for United Airlines Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked during the 9/11 attacks.
Ryleigh, 13, and her friend decided to check out the Shanksville firehouse after hearing rumors that Biden, 81, or Trump, 78, might stop by during their trip.
“So of course, all of the Trump-supporting kids still put on their MAGA gear and decide to go to the firehouse all hoping it was Trump — but then it was Biden,” said Ryleigh’s mother, Jana Musser, speaking to The Post.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, arrived first, bringing beer and pizza, but “no clapping or anything” greeted the Democrats, according to Ryleigh.
Despite not being the conservative figure the crowd expected, Biden posed for a photograph with the kids, most of whom wore pro-Trump clothing. He managed to share a few jokes, even when one boy’s shirt featured an unflattering slogan about Biden and other Democrats. “So I guess I’m dumber,” Biden joked, as recalled by Ryleigh.
Ryleigh also recorded the now-viral video of Biden putting on a “Trump 2024” hat. The clip was widely shared by the Trump-Vance campaign and later confirmed by the White House as a gesture of bipartisanship. “It’s actually pretty crazy cause a lot of people have posted it on TikTok and I’m the one that took the video,” she said.
Biden and Harris left shortly afterward, and about 15 minutes later, Trump arrived to a far different reception, with cheers from the crowd.
Trump, like Biden, shook hands and posed for photos with the children. Ryleigh managed to snap a selfie with the former president. “Ryleigh texted me a picture while she was there and I could not believe it was her and Trump … I was not expecting that,” Jana Musser said, expressing her excitement.
“We’ve been dying to get the kids to meet Trump or get a picture with Trump. Finally now, after all these years, we got them together,” she added.
Shanksville, in Somerset County, is a conservative area where over 77% of voters supported Trump in the 2020 election.
Reflecting on the day, Ryleigh called it a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to see and meet both presidents. Despite her support for Trump, Jana admitted it was “pretty nice to see that [Biden’s] willing to stand there with the kids and get a photo with them — even in their Trump shirts.”
