At age 19, most teenagers are busy spreading their wings, perhaps enjoying the exhilarating freedom of college life, traveling the world, or getting in trouble.
Certainly, they’re not in the habit receiving personal phone calls from the White House.
But then again, most 19-year-olds haven’t been through the same traumatic ordeal as Payton McNabb.
In September 2022, McNabb’s life changed forever. Then 17, the North Carolina native made headlines after she was left with serious brain damage when she was struck in the face with a volleyball that had been spiked by a transgender opponent.
She still lives with the devastating impact.
Yet, a little over two years later, a wonderful reprieve: Payton was called by West Wing staffers last month, inviting her to attend President Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday.
Payton McNabb, a former volleyball player, attended Donald Trump’s address to Congress. She sat next to Second Lady Usha Vance (middle)
The President introduced the 19-year-old and her story during his speech at the Capitol
McNabb, who was left with serious brain damage after she was struck in the face with a volleyball that had been spiked by a transgender opponent, spoke to the Daily Mail
Sitting for an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, McNabb described the ‘surreal’ behind-the-scenes action of the night
Dressed in glamorous black, she found herself on the night next to Second Lady Usha Vance, as Trump delivered a speech that McNabb describes as ‘the best he’s ever given.’
Sitting for an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, and still in an awed daze over her front-row seat, McNabb – now an outspoken feminist and ambassador for Independent Women’s Forum – described the ‘surreal’ behind-the-scenes action of the night.
‘[Usha Vance] had already known about my story,’ McNabb said of her conversations with the Second Lady. ‘She had read about it. She told me how she was proud of me for standing up for what’s right and for turning something so bad into something good.
‘She was really kind and a genuine person. It was awesome to get to meet her.’
It’s not just Usha that she has praise for.
At the Capitol Building, McNabb bumped into Lara Trump, wife of the president’s son Eric, in the bathroom. The pair bonded over their shared North Carolina roots.
Meanwhile, boarder czar Tom Homan paid a visit to McNabb in the presidential box.
‘He came by and talked to us. It was really nice of him to do that, he did not have to do that at all,’ she said.
But the biggest headliner? The First Lady herself.
McNabb was one of 15 ‘everyday Americans’ handpicked by Melania Trump to attend the address as her guests. The invitees spent the day together, exchanging stories and sharing their experiences, before heading to the White House. It was the opening act before the main event.
There, they toured the private presidential residence before having an audience with Melania.
‘We got a picture with the First Lady,’ McNabb gushed. ‘She was so kind, so classy and so sweet. You can tell she genuinely cares.’
From there, they made the pilgrimage to Capitol Hill where McNabb and her plight took center stage. After telling his audience that ‘America is back’ and that ‘our country will be woke no longer’, Trump turned his attention to the issue of trans athletes in women’s sports and highlighted McNabb’s story.
When she was a junior at Hiwassee Dam High School in Murphy, North Carolina, McNabb was knocked unconscious for 30 seconds after being struck in the face by a ball traveling at 70mph during a volleyball match.
The strike came from a 5ft 11in trans player on the opposing team. The blow was so powerful that it left McNabb on the floor with her arms locked upright in a ‘fencing’ position – an involuntary posture that is often a sign of concussion or a brain injury.
That was her final day ever playing volleyball.
McNabb was invited as a guest of the First Lady, Melania Trump
Doctors diagnosed McNabb with a traumatic brain injury, concussion, paralysis on the right side of her body, whiplash and vision problems. The physical damage ended her dreams of playing sport and has made it difficult to walk without falling.
But on Tuesday night, the President was speaking to a house divided. McNabb’s story may have taken root with the Republicans, who stood and applauded. But with the Democrats, it was met with stony silence.
‘I think that was his best speech he’s ever given,’ McNabb said. ‘It was very pro-American, and getting to witness it was such a blessing.
‘The whole vibe in there felt so patriotic – at least one side anyway. Definitely not the other side.’
Most of the Democratic congresswomen in attendance wore pink – in an apparent women’s rights protest against Trump. However, they did so just one day after Senate Democrats voted nearly unanimously to block the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.
The law would have helped set a stricter precedent to keep trans athletes out of female sports across the country. Not a single Democratic senator voted to pass it.
The irony was not lost on McNabb.
‘The Democrats embarrassed, not only themselves, but their whole party. They were disrespectful right out of the gate,’ McNabb said.
‘The hypocrisy is wild. They coordinated their pink outfits; they had their T-shirts and their signs [used as another silent protest on Tuesday night]. They claim that their party is the party for women and that they’re protesting for the rights of women, but the day before, zero Democrats voted for the protection of women and girls.
‘It’s mind-numbing, because it’s just so ironic, and I can’t believe they actually think that way. For them to claim that theirs is a party for women and then not to even stand up and acknowledge when the President was telling my story. They didn’t even care. They really showed their hand. They have no morals, and it’s honestly sad to see.’
Yet that frosty Democrat rejection is hardly anything new for McNabb. And it’s far from the worst thing she’s experienced.
McNabb has now dedicated herself to campaigning against trans athletes competing against girls and women – but not without consequence.
‘I’ve been called every single name in the book,’ she admitted. ‘I’ve been doxed. I’ve gotten death threats. People have even said that they are happy that I have a brain injury.
‘At the end of the day, I know that I’m on the right side of history. I’m thankful that I have a mind that works and common sense. The backlash is definitely there, but the support is overwhelming. It really drowns it out.’
While the support may dampen the sting of the backlash, it isn’t enough to offer a sense of security.
Now a sophomore at Western Carolina University, McNabb, a communications major, reveals she has been forced to move back home and continue her studies virtually.
‘I didn’t feel safe at my university, which is absolutely crazy,’ she said. ‘It sucks because I wanted some kind of normal.’
It has also made an existing academic challenge even more insurmountable.
Following her 2022 incident, McNabb’s mental acuity is also damaged. Her academic performance has been harmed, and she has needed ‘accommodations at school for testing’. She struggled with worsened vision, anxiety and depression as she fought to recover from her injuries.
The North Carolina native had a front-row seat
Democratic congresswomen wore pink to protest Trump in support of women’s rights
For now, she’s not sure what the future holds: ‘I’m just going to keep continuing to follow the Lord’s plan and keep fighting this fight until we no longer need to.’
That fight took one step closer to its goal Tuesday when Trump vowed to cut federal funding to any US school that allows trans athletes to compete against girls.
‘It was unbelievable to be a guest of the President and the First Lady, and to witness history happening in front of me,’ McNabb said. ‘I’m incredibly honored. I’m just so thankful that we have a president that thinks my story is important enough to give it a voice and a platform.
‘It definitely gives me hope for the future. I felt so proud to be an American after Tuesday night.’
