President Trump gives Frank Giaccio a high five for a job well done.Last Friday, an 11-year-old boy got the chance of a lifetime when he was invited by President Donald Trump to mow the lawn of the White House’s Rose Garden.
Frank Giaccio, who goes by the initials FX, was so engrossed in his work that he didn’t even notice that Trump joined him on the lawn to check out the work thus far.
Not breaking from his job, Giaccio, who lives in the Washington suburbs of Fall Church, Virginia, kept on pushing the mower as Trump walked alongside him.
When Giaccio finally took a break from mowing, Trump called him the “future of the country right here” and asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. Giaccio responded that he plans to be a Navy SEAL, to which Trump said, “Well, he’ll make it.”
But how did Giaccio get to this point in his short lawn mowing career?
Frank was so focused on mowing he didn’t notice the president at first.According to the Associated Press, the White House said that Giaccio had written to Trump saying he admired the president’s business acumen, and that he runs his own neighborhood lawn care business.
“It’s probably the biggest day of my life so far,” Giaccio told the Associated Press.
He added that the day was also full of interviews with the media, plant watering, mowing the lawn and visiting the Oval Office with his father.
Normally, Giaccio charges $8 per lawn for his services, but he decided to mow the White House lawn for free.
In the letter he sent to the president, which White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders read to reporters, Giaccio stated that it would be his “honor to mow the White House lawn.” In his letter, he also included a list of services, which included weed-whacking.
Using a mower that belonged to the National Park Service, Giaccio donned his goggles and ear plugs to get to work; he was able to keep the black gardening gloves he used for the day as souvenirs.
“My dad didn’t think I was going to meet the president at all — I was just going to mow the Rose Garden. But the president came by and said hi,” Giaccio told the Associated Press.
In a tweet later issued by the president, Trump thanked Giaccio for his time and service saying, “THANK YOU for doing a GREAT job this morning! @NatlParkService gives you an A+!”
A video of the highlights of Giaccio’s visit was included with the tweet, as well as a photo of Giaccio at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office next to Trump.
