You Can Judge from Afar—I Reached Out to Donald Trump and Saw for Myself

I’ve met Donald Trump twice, and what stayed with me wasn’t politics, it was being in the room and seeing his humanity. In the middle of everything on his plate, he was fully present, reaching out and making people feel seen. That’s leadership.

One of the most impactful things I learned early in my business career is the concept of a relationship pyramid. At the top are those who will support you no matter what. In the middle is the majority, those who observe, evaluate, and may go one way or the other. At the bottom are those who will never support you, regardless of what you do. Typically, that bottom group is small, and you learn to disregard those people. But in the case of President Trump, it is much larger, yet he continues to push forward with a strength I’ve not seen for any other person. My background is rooted in negotiation and President Trump amazes me with his negotiation skills. At 21, I began managing apartments, my parents both passed away and It became my responsibility to keep the business moving forward. Resolving disputes among individuals much older than me was a daily reality and it was sink or swim. There was no one to turn to for advice, just instinct, determination, and the mindset that you do whatever it takes to succeed. I always said, “I’d eat peanut butter before I’d let the business go.” I love peanut butter, but not for every meal. That mindset didn’t come from nowhere. It was built long before, through sports.

Sports taught me resilience. I swam rough water, two miles, before I was 15 years old. I was so thin that it took me 40 minutes just to warm up afterward, we didn’t swim with wetsuits back then. You learned to push through discomfort. You learned discipline, you pushed through discomfort and you gained mental toughness. That strength carried into every part of my life. Sports are competition, but they are so much more than that. They are where young girls grow into women. We cannot sit by and watch. We must stand up, speak up and be present.

From what I’ve seen, President Donald Trump has a unique ability to handle intense situations. He can be dealing with serious global issues, such as the conflict involving Iran, and then shift into lighter moments—engaging with people, joking with children, like during the Easter event at the White House. He works through difficult days repeatedly and still gets up the next morning and does it all again.

As a stuntwoman, I’ve been in intense and even life-threatening situations, including being at a school during what we believed was an active shooter incident. It was later revealed to be a drill, but at the time, no one knew, not even the teachers. I saw firsthand how pressure and fear reveal the true nature of how people respond. Most individuals who are not regularly exposed to high-stress situations react very differently. But President Trump remains composed, even without a background that would prepare someone for that level of pressure. That is an attribute of leadership.

Standing up for women and supporting Title IX is also an attribute of leadership, one that our President holds close. For me, just like our President I cannot sit by and ignore what I believe are injustices to fairness in women’s sports. These young women deserve equal opportunity.

I know what it takes to train, to compete, and to push yourself to be your best. Losing to someone better is something you may not like, that’s competition, you can train harder, improve or know you’ve done your best and accept the outcome. Competing under conditions that are unequal is something entirely different.

I’ve written to President Trump twice, and both times I received a response. I’ve also thanked him in person for supporting Title IX. Knowing that he has spoken on these issues publicly, makes me feel honored to do what I can.

Young girls deserve more. I know this because I’ve lived it. When girls struggle to become the best they can be, they give everything and sill have and face what is an unfair advantage due to physical differences, it becomes a clear injustice. If there is anything I can do to speak up and support fairness in its entirety, then I will. I could not stay silent and feel right about it. So, I speak.

I am honored to be a guest speaker at our Moms for Liberty fundraising Gala.