MSNBC hosts call Trump’s comments on 13-year-old cancer survivor in speech ‘disgusting’ political move

MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow and Nicolle Wallace criticized President Donald Trump for featuring DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old cancer survivor, during his address Tuesday evening to a joint session of Congress.

“For the record, and this is disgusting, the president made a spectacle out of praising a young man who thus far survived pediatric cancer, as if the president had something to do with that,” Maddow said Tuesday evening in response to Trump’s address. 

“This was in the midst of him praising [the Department of Government Efficiency],” she said. “The DOGE cuts, among other things, have cut off funding for ongoing research into pediatric cancer.”

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“But I think this was a lesson in finding one thing that you let yourself feel,” Wallace said, also responding to DJ’s viral moment during Trump’s speech. “And I let myself feel joy about DJ, and I hope he’s alive for another, you know, 95 years and I hope he lives the life he wants to live. He wants to be a cop. He knows what he wants to do, and maybe when you have childhood cancer, that crystallizes for you.”

“I hope he has a long life as a law enforcement officer,” she said. “But I hope he never has to defend the United States Capitol against Donald Trump’s supporters, and if he does, I hope he isn’t one of the six who loses his life to suicide, and I hope he isn’t one who has to testify against the people who carried out acts of seditious conspiracy and then lived to see Donald Trump pardon those people.”

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Daniel received a standing ovation from a majority of the crowd, although some Democrats were seen on camera sitting at various times while Trump was speaking about the 13-year-old.

Trump explained that Daniel and his dad, who was in the crowd and held him up at one point during Trump’s remarks, have been on a “quest” to make his dream of becoming a police officer come true and explained that he has been made an honorary member of local police departments. 

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.