When Red Stars rookie midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth visited the White House on July 22, she was there as her 2023 Florida State Seminoles were honored for their national title. Nesbeth relished the chance to reunite with her championship teammates and look back together on their accomplishments in such a grand setting.
That date, however, will go down in history for reasons beyond soccer.
A day earlier, President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, upending the race for the presidency. In her first public appearance following the seismic political shift, Harris feted the Seminoles and other championship teams from the 2023-24 academic year while Biden was absent due to a recent COVID-19 diagnosis.
Looking back, Nesbeth understands the gravity of the moment, that it’s possible she saw Harris take some early steps toward what would be a groundbreaking presidency.
“It’s amazing,” Nesbeth said. “Obviously, for her to run and who knows maybe the first female President, it’s a historic experience. It’s definitely cool to be able to be a part of it and to experience her talking and now being able to follow her in her campaign. Her journey is pretty cool. It’s definitely nice to be able to experience that live.”
Any trip to the White House is special, especially when it’s to commemorate an accomplishment like a national championship. This one was a little different because of the circumstances.
Nesbeth recognized that pretty quickly as she realized the day’s festivities would be recorded for posterity and reach eyes and ears across the world. Though there would have been some interest in the ceremony without it, Biden’s announcement and Harris’ ascension added gravity to the Vice President’s presence and speech extolling the gathered champions.
“Once all of the publicity started coming in and people taking screenshots and it was on CNN… I didn’t think it was going to be broadcast like that to the world,” Nesbeth said. “Obviously a lot of eyes on the television. This is when politics starts to get really dialed-in around this time, near the election.
“Once that started coming into play, I [thought], OK, this is pretty cool.”
At the end of her remarks, Harris introduced speaker Jordynn Dudley. A teammate of Nesbeth’s at FSU, Dudley reflected on the championship and her experiences as an elite student-athlete.
That also left a mark on Nesbeth.
“That was amazing to hear [Dudley] talk,” said Nesbeth, who was selected 10th overall by the Red Stars in the 2024 NWSL draft. “It was really cool. We built up a strong relationship last year, so it was nice to be able to watch her and see her and her looking professional. She’s usually a shy girl so it was nice for her to get out of her comfort zone and speak to all of those people in the [audience].”
Seeing her friend and former teammate speak was just one part of a day that Nesbeth will never forget. It was a day when she remembered former glories and witnessed an important moment in American political history.
“That was a really cool experience,” Nesbeth said.
