Aaron Williams Jr. was certainly ready for his close-ups.
Photos of the Zionsville 2-year-old interacting with President Donald Trump became a viral hit during the family’s Dec. 5 visit to the Oval Office.
“They’ve made their way literally around the world,” said the boy’s father, Aaron Williams. “A colleague of mine sent me a picture that a picture was in the London Standard. They’ve made their rounds, for sure.”
Williams, director of field marketing and analyst relations at Topcoder, said he had no idea the photos would take off.
“When the national press came in, it was like you see in the movies, they took a bunch of pictures,” Williams said. “I didn’t think it would garner that kind of attention. We were grateful for the experience and opportunity.”
Along with his photogenic son, Williams visited with his wife, Allison, and his daughter, Aylin, 5. Williams said it was Trump’s idea to do individual pictures with each family.
Williams said Trump asked Aaron to put two thumbs up along with him and then he kissed him on the head.
“I got selected because I was one of the families the White House reached out to over the summer to solicit feedback on what’s included in the tax reform bill,” Williams said. “The president kicked off the tax reform plan in Indiana, and I was invited to that as well. I was invited to the State Fairgrounds and I made that opportunity to meet with the president then. I thought then it was done and over with.”
Then, White House officials reached out to Williams to say that the president would like to invite the family to the Oval Office. The Williams family flew out Dec. 4 and met with Trump the next day.
“I’ve talked to local and national reporters. ‘Fox and Friends’ just reached out,” Williams said. “It’s been a surreal experience but very humbling. We’ve enjoyed it immensely. It’s been a fun experience.”
Williams said his family had the opportunity to bowl in the White House before having some private conversations with Trump on the tax bill.
“We got to meet Gen. John Kelly (White House Chief of Staff), and it was such an honor to meet him and shake his hand,” Williams said.
Williams and family then met with Vice President Mike Pence and took some pictures in his office. Williams said he has known Pence since he was Indiana’s governor.
“I’ve been a longtime supporter of Vice President Pence, so I when saw President Trump selected him as a running mate, I was excited to support that ticket,” said Williams, a 2004 Ben Davis High School graduate who attended Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.
