President Donald Trump honored a 13-year-old cancer survivor and made him an honorary member of the United States Secret Service during his address to Congress on Tuesday.
“Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police,” Trump announced during his speech. “His name is DJ Daniel. He is 13 years old, and he has always dreamed of becoming a police officer. But in 2018, DJ was diagnosed with brain cancer. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago.”
The president explained that since being diagnosed with cancer, Daniel and his dad have been on a “quest” to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer. Trump noted that the 13-year-old cancer survivor is “loved” by police officers and has been made an “honorary law enforcement officer” by multiple police departments.
“Tonight, DJ, we’re going to do you the biggest honor of them all,” Trump added. “I am asking our new Secret Service Director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service.”
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After Trump announced that Daniel was going to be honored as a Secret Service agent, Curran presented the 13-year-old cancer survivor with a special Secret Service badge and gave him a hug.
According to Fox News, while some Democrats appeared to refuse to stand or clap for the 13-year-old cancer survivor, the majority of the crowd honored Daniel with a standing ovation and chanted the boy’s name.
Sharing a video from Tuesday’s joint session of Congress, the Houston Police Officers’ Union tweeted, “DJ Daniel is our guy. We’re so proud of him. He represents the Houston Police Department with Honor, Integrity, and Respect. WAY TO GO, DJ. You’re an amazing young man and an inspiration to us all. We love you.”
In response to Trump honoring the 13-year-old boy, Meghan McCain, the daughter of former Arizona Senator John McCain, tweeted, “This is the first time I can remember crying during a state of the union. Thank you President Trump. This is so beautiful. Anyone who has been impacted by brain cancer knows how special this is.”
Meanwhile, many social media users slammed the Democrat lawmakers who refused to stand and clap for the cancer survivor.
Ric Grennell, a Trump administration official, tweeted, “A terminally ill child with brain cancer is given an honorary Secret Service award and the Democrats refuse to stand or clap for the child.” Clay Travis, founder of Outkick, wrote, “Democrats refused to stand for the brain cancer surviving kid! How awful can one party be?”
Additionally, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted, “Democrats reminded us they are the party of insanity and hate — they could not even clap for a child battling cancer, or mothers who lost their children.”
