From the Washington Examiner: President Donald Trump revealed Monday that Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) had been diagnosed with a terminal heart disease, but has since been treated and has a renewed outlook on life.
Trump’s comments came at a convening of the Trump-Kennedy Center Board at the White House. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was seated directly to the president’s right and noted that Dunn’s exact diagnosis had not previously been made public.
As Trump and Johnson were lauding Dunn for staying in his position despite the difficult diagnosis, which had thus far not been public, Trump pressed Johnson, and the speaker said, “I think it was a terminal diagnosis.”
“He would be dead by June,” Trump said in response.
“OK, that wasn’t public, but yeah, OK,” Johnson said. “It was grim, that’s what I was going to say.”
Johnson tried to be very diplomatic about Dunn’s personal health issues, but Trump prodded him to expound on the situation, and when Johnson would only say it was a “grim diagnoses,” Trump inserted that it was a heart problem.
Johnson said most people who had received such a diagnosis would have bailed out immediately, but Dunn was determined to stay in Congress to fulfill his duties.
After President Trump interceded, and got Dunn into the Walter Reed Hospital, he had surgery and is now reportedly doing fine.
WATCH the exchange below:
President Trump on Rep. Neal Dunn’s initial terminal diagnosis: “He would be dead by June.”
Speaker Johnson: “Okay, that wasn’t public.” pic.twitter.com/HJunoPSD0n
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 16, 2026
READ MORE from the Washington Examiner
Dunn, 73, announced in January that he will serve out the remainder of his current term, but will not seek re-election in November.
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