Washington Payton McNabb of Hiwassee Dam was in attendance for President Donald Trump’s first speech to Congress during his second term on March 4.
McNabb was there as a guest of the president and first lady Melania Trump. During his address, Trump told the story of all of his guests, but he told McNabb’s story first.
He told the story of McNabb suffering an injury following a volleyball spiked at her by an allegedly transgender girl in a September 2022 volleyball game where the Lady Eagles were taking on Highlands. Following the spike, which hit McNabb in the face, she suffered a traumatic brain injury and still experiences the effects of an injury that Trump said could have been prevented.
Speaking directly to McNabb about her injuries, Trump looked up at her and said, “Payton, from now on, schools will kick the men off the girls team or they will lose all federal funding.”
McNabb smiled, applauded and stood up, then waved at Trump. The majority of those in attendance also stood and applauded, as well as Vice President J.D. Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who were sitting behind Trump.
Talking about that moment, McNabb said, “What an incredible honor even getting to be there in the first place. I mean, not only getting to just be at the State of the Union address, but being a guest of the president and the first lady. Then when he called me out, that was crazy.
“It was such a surreal moment. I was overwhelmed with emotions and I was so thankful that, again, we have a president who cares enough about my story to give it this huge voice, and it was awesome.”
Many powerful people were in attendance, including Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kash Patel. It was a rare event in which they had Doug Collins of Georgia, U.S. Secretary of Veteran Affairs, as the designated survivor. Having a designated survivor is common during a State of the Union address as well as past presidential inaugurations.
Speaking on being in the room with the many powerful people, McNabb said she felt star-struck the whole night.
“It was so cool getting to be in there and getting to see all that, and just getting to be a part of history being made,” she said. “It was something I’m truly never gonna forget.”
McNabb was seated next to second lady Usha Vance, a few seats down from the first lady.
“She was so kind and just so genuine, and it was just amazing getting to talk to her and just getting to be in that seat. I was not expecting that at all, so it was absolutely insane,” McNabb said.
McNabb also got to meet Melania Trump prior to the address. They spent some time talking and took a photo together.
Along with attending the address, McNabb got to take a private tour of the White House. She also got to do media interviews on the front lawn after the address.
On what is next for her, McNabb said, “I’m still working with Independent Women’s Forum, and we’re so thankful for the executive order being signed. It was such a huge step in the right direction, but unfortunately it’s not permanent – and they tried to get a bill through just the day before the State of the Union, and zero Democrats voted to get it through, so the bill ultimately died.”
Trump signed an executive order banning biological men from playing women’s sports at any level on Feb. 5, when McNabb was also in attendance.
After advancing through the House of Representatives, the bill fell short on the Senate floor. On March 4, senators voted to advance the legislation. After a 51-45 vote, the bill was blocked. Despite voting in favor, the bill needed 60 “yes” votes to advance. It would have needed seven Democrats to vote yes, but none did.
Despite the bill falling short on the Senate floor, in North Carolina women and girls in sports are protected under N.C. House Bill 574. HB 574 is titled “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.” The bill prohibits male students from competing in sports designated for females, women or girls at middle school through collegiate athletics.
HB 574 also requires a student’s sex to be recognized only based on reproductive biology and genetics at birth for athletics. It also creates a civil cause for action for students who are harmed by violation of the bill, as well as creates a civil cause for action for public schools that suffer harm as a result of following the requirements of the bill.
The bill was signed June 15, 2023, and one of the representatives who introduced it was state Rep. Karl Gillespie (R-Franklin), who represents Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Macon counties in the General Assembly.
“So there’s still plenty of more work to do. Right now, we’re focusing more on state level laws to get the protection of women and girls secured in every state. And we’re also working on the NCAA policy because it’s definitely not the way it should be. So there’s a lot to still do, and we’re just gonna keep battling until we no longer need to,” McNabb said.
“That was his best speech probably ever. I think like the energy in there was really pro-American, and I think that the other side tried to take away from it and cause distractions. They tried really hard, and it was embarrassing. In the end, like actually being in there, the pro-American feeling definitely was overwhelmingly more than all of the distractions.
“ … It made me definitely have a better feeling about the future more than I already did.”
Payton McNabb was joined in D.C. by her parents, Daniel and Pamela McNabb, as well as her sister Avery.