The Daily Populous Tuesday March 17th, 2026 day edition
Authored by independent.co.uk and submitted by Large_banana_hammock

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President Donald Trump on Monday left House Speaker Mike Johnson and others visibly shocked by revealing private medical information about a House Republican while television cameras broadcast the scene.

Trump was speaking during an impromptu press conference — where he was expected to field a few questions about the ongoing Iran War — before a scheduled lunch with Kennedy Center board members, when he began praising the way House Speaker Mike Johnson has managed to keep his majority together despite having only a two-vote margin since earlier this year.

Seated between Johnson and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, whom Trump had earlier revealed is battling early-stage breast cancer, he asked the Speaker about one GOP member who was “very ill.” Johnson replied that Florida Representative Neal Dunn had been suffering from “real health challenges” and a “pretty grim diagnosis” while still showing up to work and voting, calling him “a real champion and a patriot.”

Trump then interjected to ask about Dunn’s diagnosis before revealing, unprompted, that it had been “a terminal diagnosis.”

“He would be dead by June,” said Trump, prompting Johnson to jump back in, more than a bit surprised.

U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, speaks during a lunch with the Kennedy Center board members in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 16, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst ( REUTERS )

”Ok, that wasn’t public,” Johnson said.

Johnson added that Trump had connected with Dunn to offer condolences and later arranged for him to receive medical treatment from White House Medical Unit doctors and other military physicians at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

“The man has a new lease on life. 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,” Johnson said.

Trump re-entered the conversation by recounting how Johnson had told him that Dunn had been “terminal” with a “really bad heart” and remarked how there was “nothing they could do” for the longtime Florida representative.

“I realized I have doctors in the White House ... 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,” Trump said.

Earlier this year, Dunn said he would not seek re-election in Florida's 2nd district. Last month, amid rumors that Dunn might resign early, his office told Politico that he would serve out the duration of his term.

Since January, House Republicans had been operating with just 218 seats, a virtual two-seat majority, after the death of Rep. Doug Lamalfa of California died and the resignation of former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

Because Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) frequently votes against House Republican leadership, Johnson has often struggled to keep his conference together to pass party-line legislation or procedural rules needed to debate and pass bills without resorting to a fast-track procedure that requires two-thirds of the House to support a bill.

His margin effectively narrowed earlier this month when California Rep. Kevin Kiley announced he was registering as an Independent, though Kiley said he would still caucus with the GOP and support Johnson’s leadership.

SkylarPopo on March 16th, 2026 at 17:43 UTC »

Was really hoping he was talking about himself.

yodelsJr on March 16th, 2026 at 17:34 UTC »

Mike Johnson is a sociopathic ghoul and even he looked insanely uncomfortable in this situation. Trump is devoid of humanity to a stunning degree.

Lazy4food on March 16th, 2026 at 17:24 UTC »

It's congressman Neal Dunn who has the terminal diagnosis.

Edited to more info.