UNITED STATES−President Donald Trump thanked Nick Sandman after receiving positive reviews on social media of the his speech at the 47th annual Pro-life March in Washington D.C. on January 24.

Sandman wrote on Twitter, “one of the best speeches in the history of his Presidency.” The original tweet was posted by American commentator and conservative columnist, Todd Starnes, to which the President tweeted, “Thanks Nick.”

Sandman is the same teen at the center of an incident at last year’s pro-life march. Nick and his classmates received international attention after a video surfaced of an altercation between Sandman and Nathan Phillips, the leader and activist in the Black Hebrew Israelites group. The video went viral and was plastered over social media showing what appeared to be Sandman bullying the activist.

He was publicly shamed, expelled from school, and received death threats after the video spread throughout social media. The entire video of the incident from one of the mother’s in the crowd revealed that Sandman did not instigate the altercation or bully Phillips. The entire video showed Sandman silently waiting as Phillips came within inches of the teens face in an intimidating manner, as other members of the group shouted homophobic slurs at the boys.

According to the Military Times, the Native American tribal elder who became the focus of the viral social media controversy is not a Vietnam veteran, the U.S. Marine Corps confirmed.   Phillips reportedly portrayed himself as a Vietnam vet did serve as a Marine Corps Reserve for 4 years before leaving with the rank of Private or an E-1. The Washington Examiner and Vt.com stated that Phillips had been reported Absent Without Leave (AWOL) on a few occasions and he carried a criminal record including assault, escape from prison, and various alcohol-related crimes.

In April, Phillips was quoted by Vogue, misrepresenting himself saying, “You know I’m from Vietnam times. I’m what they call a recon ranger. That was my role.”

A defamation lawsuit filed on behalf of Sandman sought $250 million in damages. CNN settled a lawsuit with the Covington Catholic School teen, but the details of the suit were kept private. According to reports, Sandman’s family has ongoing suits filed with The Washington Post and NBC Universal.

Sandman spoke to Lifesitenews after attending the Pro-Life March this year. “It was a moving experience,” said Sandman about the March. “It brought back a lot of memories, but it was definitely worth it.”

On Twitter, the teen wrote, “I will never pass on an opportunity to March for Life.”