Featured Image Credit: Annabelle GORDON / AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, News, Health
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, News, Health
Donald Trump has come under fire after publicly leaking a Congressman's 'terminal' heart condition.
During an impromptu press conference on Monday (16 Mar), Trump, 79, planned to address concerns regarding his ongoing war against Iran before a scheduled meeting with board members from the Kennedy Centre.
During the discussion, the right-wing leader began by praising Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, for maintaining his majority despite a two-thirds vote margin.
The conversation - broadcast on live television - heard Trump go on to ask Johnson, who was seated beside him, about the health of a Republican member of Congress, Neal Dunn, who was 'very ill'.
Advert
"It looked like he wasn’t going to make it," the 79-year-old said.
Replying, Johnson told attendees that Neal Dunn, 73, had battled 'real health challenges' recently, following a 'pretty grim diagnosis'.
The Speaker went on to praise the rep for continuing to work, however, hailing Dunn as a 'real champion and a patriot'.
Seemingly not realising the minimal extent to which Dunn's health condition had been made public, Trump then prompted Johnson to reveal that Dunn had been dealt 'a terminal diagnosis'.
The President then said: "He would be dead by June."
Visibly taken aback, Johnson spoke up to tell the President: "Ok, that wasn’t public. It was grim - that was what I was going to say."
Speaking during the conference, the Speaker revealed that Trump had recently connected with Dunn and had arranged for him to be treated by White House Medical Unit doctors, as well as by other physicians at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre.
"The man has a new lease on life," Johnson continued, referring to the Florida politician.
"He acts like he's 30 years younger, and he walked into the conference meeting, and we thought we'd seen a ghost, and I spoke with him over the weekend, and he's encouraged and thankful, and he thanks the President for his leadership and intervention."
Bizarrely, however, Trump then chimed in again, recounting that he'd recently learned through Johnson that Dunn's case is 'terminal' with a 'really bad heart', and that they'd been told there was 'nothing they could do'.
"I realised I have doctors in the White House," he went on to say. "The White House, doctors are incredible, and they've helped me with other people. They're helping me with people right now, people that are very sick... like they're miracle workers.
"And I said, I have to call them. And 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."
Unsurprisingly, the incident has triggered global outcry, with one Reddit user calling it 'truly disgusting', while another agreed: "This is one of the most disgusting things he’s done. How terrible."
A third went on: "He is literally the worst person in the world."
"As a nurse, revealing someone else’s very private health information like this, so cavalierly, made me want to vomit," a fourth said. "This is the first time I’ve seen Johnson visibly uncomfortable with him."
Dunn had revealed earlier this year that he wasn't running for re-election in Florida's 2nd district. He later told Politico, however, that rumours of an early resignation were not true, and that he'd continue serving his current term.