Have you met a U.S. president? It's a cool experience

As the U.S. welcomes Donald Trump into the White House (or at least 46.1 percent of registered voters welcome him), I am like most Americans in that I’ve never personally met the incoming president.

Not yet, anyway.

My job has put me in close contact with three presidents, and Lebron James helped bring a fourth president within a few feet.

You don't have to be a big donor or party leader to find yourself face-to-face with a U.S. president, though. So, Southwest Florida, share your presidential encounters — which commander in chief did you see, when, where and how did it go down? Add your experience to the comment section of this story.

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Below are short descriptions and photos of my presidential encounters:

Bill Clinton, 2012

Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh. Birdman.

Five years ago, the Miami Heat were flying high, and courtside at American Airlines Arena was starting to resemble Madison Square Garden and the Staples Center.

I always scoured the sidelines and luxury boxes for famous faces, and I captured plenty over the years in my viewfinder: Drake, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Gloria Estefan, Rick Ross and Spike Lee, to name a few.

At the Heat-Magic game on Feb. 19, 2012, my eyes were fixed on Chris Brown and Lil' Wayne, who both were seated in front of us. I got a great photo of Lil' Wayne trying not to make a mess while eating cheese fries in his lap.

Then I spotted a silver-haired man sitting next to owner Micky Arison. There he was, Bill Clinton, sitting courtside. He had his cell phone out, and was drinking Fiji water and coffee. Most people didn't even notice he was there, and I didn't see secret service agents (although, I guess you're not supposed to see them).

He left in the fourth quarter.

Barack Obama, 2009

Nothing ever happens in the little rural community of Arcadia, right? Then the big announcement came: Barack Obama would be visiting Desoto County on Oct. 27, 2009, to tour FPL's new solar plant.

Any time a sitting president visits, media organizations go all-out to cover the event. It's an all-hands-on-deck kind of thing, much like newsrooms covering a hurricane. My assignment probably was the least glamorous — waiting on the tarmac at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, updating Obama's arrival and departure time for our online story. My day's work amounted to this: 10 hours, 163 miles, a mean sunburn and about two sentences of journalism.

I had to arrive early at SRQ so security could verify that I wasn't a threat and search my belongings, so I probably was on the tarmac at least two hours before Air Force One landed. The president exited the airplane, like we've seen a million times, but instead of walking toward Marine One for the chopper ride to Arcadia, he headed straight toward my platform.

Why is he walking directly toward me? Oh gosh, I thought, Obama wants to talk, and I was fully unprepared for a press conference. He's 50 feet away. Then 25 feet. Then 10 feet. At that point, he veered ever-so-slightly to his left (a wobble in hurricane terms), and shook the hands of a few service members standing beside me, all the while being shadowed by the White House press corps.

After three handshakes, he waved to the throng of journalists and headed toward Marine One. When the helicopter returned in the afternoon, Obama walked quickly toward Air Force One. Apparently, he had a fever and was feeling ill, and our 90-degree heat and blazing sun weren't making him feel any better.

George W. Bush: 2004

Although news-press.com existed in 2004, it consisted predominantly of full stories written for the newspaper, not short updates of live events, especially on a Saturday. So The News-Press only sent myself, political writer Betty Parker and photojournalists Amanda Inscore and Todd Stubing to George W. Bush's campaign stop at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers.

My role was to write the color piece, which included sights, sounds and comments from the day. It wasn't the 1A story, but it got me into the stadium.

I don't recall a single thing that Bush said on Oct. 23, 2004, but do remember the camaraderie of Republicans in attendance and the never-ending cheer: "Four more years! Four more years!"

Ten dates later, Bush defeated Democrat John Kerry and earned a second term in the White House.

George H.W. Bush, 2002-2010

Presidents never seem to stay in one location very long or return to the same place. George H.W. Bush, however, likely has visited Southwest Florida more times than any commander in chief. For years, the Bush family vacationed on Boca Grande, a place where high-profile people still can disappear from the radar. We've photographed George H.W., Barbara, George W., Jeb and the rest of the Bushes on multiple occasions.

I never staked out Boca Grande, but before his health started declining, George H.W. used to make annual trips to the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs for the Barbara Bush Foundation's Celebration of Reading event. Jeb technically was the emcee, but his parents were the main attraction.

While the formal affair attracts hundreds in the evening, a handful of journalists are invited to an afternoon presser with key authors and the Bush family. In those close quarters, the former president can't help but notice everyone in the room. Over the years, he answered a few of my questions, shook my hand a time or two and offered way too many soundbites. George H.W. has a sense of humor like no other.

I recall one moment in the mid-2000s where he was prodding Jeb about someday running for president. It was almost uncomfortable in that room, a playful father-son squabble in front of the media. Dad was encouraging him to seek higher office; Jeb said he was happy living and working in Florida.

This year's Celebration of Reading will be held Feb. 17 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point. To date, the fundraiser has generated $26 million to support literacy in Florida. Click HERE for more information on this year's event.

National Politics Page: WASHINGTON