Damon Weaver, the youngest person to interview a sitting president has died, The Palm Beach Post reports. He was 23.
Weaver was an 11-year-old student at Canal Point Elementary School in Canal Point, Fla., when he received the opportunity to interview President Obama. The kid reporter won Americans over with the quirky questions he asked President Obama for 10 minutes in the White House Diplomatic Room on Aug. 13, 2009. Weaver asked the 44th president about education, bullying, school lunch and if he would be his “homeboy.” “Absolutely,” Obama said with a smirk, shaking Weaver’s hand.
His sister Candace Hardy confirmed Thursday (May 13) her brother died on May 1 of natural causes. “He was loved by everyone,” Hardy told The Post. “No matter if it was a stranger, his mom or a family member, he was just a ball of light with so much energy. He was always positive, always had a smile on [his] face and he was always a joy to be around. He left an impact on a lot of people.”
Weaver dreamed of becoming a full-time journalist. In 2009, he told Time Magazine that he wanted to “be Wolf Blitzer.” In fifth grade, he volunteered for his school newscast and In 2016, his teacher Brian Zimmerman told The Post, “ Damon was the kid who ran after me in the hall to tell me he was interested.” “And right away, I just saw the potential for the way he was on camera. You could see his personality come through. He wasn’t nervous being on camera.”
Weaver also interviewed President Joe Biden when he was a vice presidential candidate, Oprah Winfrey, retired NBA superstar Dwyane Wade and Samuel L. Jackson, among others. But his sit-down with President Obama was his notable interview. “It was a one-in-a-lifetime experience,” Hardy said. “That’s the only way to describe it … It was life-changing for him.”
Weaver graduated from Royal Palm Beach High School and earned his degree in communications from Albany State University in Georgia.
According to a Facebook post shared by Brown & Bussey’s Funeral Services, a celebration of life for Weaver was held Saturday (May 15) at St. John’s First Baptist Church in Belle Glade, Fla.
Check out the full interview with President Barack Obama below: