Donald Trump revealed that a Republican congressman and father-of-three has a terminal diagnosis in a morbid discussion of his private health battle.
Republican Representative Neal Dunn’s outlook was so grim that doctors pronounced ‘he would be dead by June,’ Trump told a press conference at the White House Monday.
Speaker Mike Johnson, who was sitting next to the President, appeared stunned as Trump grinned at reporters. ‘Okay, that wasn’t public,’ Johnson quipped.
Trump had been recounting a private phone call with Johnson about the narrow House majority when he made the admission about Dunn’s illness.
‘He said, “Sir, we’re up by three, but we’re gonna lose one by June.” I said, who? “Neal Dunn,” Trump recalled.
‘Number one, it was bad because I liked him. Number two, it was bad because I needed his vote. Then I realized I have doctors at the White House.
‘I called the two doctors, they’re both great, and they immediately went over to see the congressman, and he was on the operating table like two hours later,’ he continued.
Trump said they gave Dunn, 73, ‘more stents and more everything that you can have.’
President Donald Trump revealed that a Florida Congressman has a terminal illness during a White House event on Monday
Congressman Neal Dunn, 73, is expected to die ‘by June,’ Trump said on Monday
The Republican representative, of Florida, has already said he will not run for reelection
The diagnosis is reportedly related to his heart, though details about the exact condition remain unknown.
Dunn was treated by medical professionals at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center just outside of Washington, DC.
Johnson and Trump did not specify whether Dunn’s terminal diagnosis was resolved after the visit, but the speaker noted how the Floridian now ‘has a new lease on life.’
Dunn has three sons and five grandchildren and is married to his wife, Leah.
With the current 218-214 split, losing just two seats could mean forfeiting the GOP majority and deadlocking on party-line votes.
Democrats could tie up the Republican agenda for the remainder of the year if Dunn dies in June and if liberals get an unexpected special election win this year.
Earlier this year, reports circulated in Washington that Johnson confided in a group of donors that Dunn’s illness was terminal.
But it was not confirmed by the Congressman. Dunn’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
Dunn with his family at his swearing-in ceremony in 2017
Trump made the remarks while sitting next to his closest adviser Susie Wiles – who was just diagnosed with ‘early stage’ breast cancer
Robert Kraft listens as Trump speaks during a lunch
Dunn, 73, has said he will not run for reelection. He also has ruled out resigning before his term ends in early 2027.
‘I have no comment on personal issues such as Dr Dunn’s health. He has been working as usual,’ a spokesman for Dunn told the Daily Mail at the end of February.
‘As a dedicated public servant, he will remain in Congress to represent his constituents through the end of this term,’ his representative said previously.
Dunn serves Florida’s 2nd Congressional District in the reliably red Panhandle region.
A former Navy captain and vascular surgeon first elected in 2017, Neal’s district’s strong GOP tilt makes a Democratic special election flip highly unlikely.
