Trump reveals GOP congressman’s terminal diagnosis
Retiring GOP Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Florida, would have been ‘dead by June,’ Trump said, before he had White House doctors intervene.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump revealed a Republican congressman’s terminal diagnosis during a news conference, saying the retiring lawmaker would have been “dead by June” but for an intervention by White House doctors.
The detail prompted a slightly awkward moment with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, who was sitting beside the president and responded, “OK, that wasn’t public.”
“But yeah, OK. It was grim. That’s what I was going to say,” the congressional leader said.
Rumors of Florida Rep. Neal Dunn’s declining health have been circulating for weeks. The 73-year-old former Army surgeon announced his retirement from Congress, after five terms, in January. In it, he made no mention of the heart condition that Johnson and Trump publicly said March 16 had led to a terminal diagnosis.
“The time has come to pass the torch to new conservative leaders, return home to Panama City, and spend more precious time with my family and our beloved grandchildren,” Dunn said in a Jan. 13 statement. He committed to serving out the rest of his term.
A spokesperson for Dunn did not immediately respond to a request or comment on the remarks from Trump and Johnson.
Dunn’s announcement added to a record pace of departures from the House of Representatives, immediately raising concern among congressional Republicans – and Trump himself – about their razor-thin majority in the legislative chamber. With a big to-do list and a rapidly ticking clock ahead of the midterm elections, which aren’t looking good for Republicans, the GOP can’t afford to lose virtually any more votes.
Amid a looming funding battle for the Iran war, conservatives clamoring to pass voting restrictions and affordability top of mind for many Americans, the remainder of this year may be Trump’s final chance to pass significant legislation in his second term.
For that reason, Johnson said Trump involved his own doctors, who conducted emergency surgery on the congressman at Walter Reed. The president said the doctors conducted a “long operation” and “gave him more stents and more everything than you can have.”
After the operation, Johnson said Dunn seemed to have a “new lease on life.”
“I did it for him first, and for the vote second,” Trump said. “But it was a close second, actually.”
Johnson and Trump had the conversation sitting alongside Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff. The president also shared on March 16 that Wiles, his top adviser, was recently diagnosed with an early stage of breast cancer. She is receiving treatment and will continue serving in her role, Trump said.
Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
