U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) listens to U.S. President Donald Trump speaking 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
President Donald Trump went off-script about his redecoration of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during a Monday press conference and pivoted to discuss the narrow Republican majority in the House. That off-script moment included the announcement that one of the GOP's own members could be "dead by June."
Trump asked Speaker Mike Johnson to share updates about Rep. Neal Dunn's (R-Fla.) health challenges, captured reporters observing.
“He would be dead by June,” Trump said.
Johnson noted, “That wasn’t public.”
Back in February, it was revealed that Dunn had a "terminal diagnosis," though specifics and a timeline weren't given at the time.
Tump then said, “The man has a new lease on life.”
“No. 1, it was bad because I liked him," Trump continued. "No. 2, it was bad because I needed his vote.”
"I did it for him first and for the vote second. But it was a close second," added.
"Deeply uncomfortable conversation happening here, as Trump said, when he first heard the news, he thought it was bad[,] not just cause he likes Dunn but because he 'needed' his vote," quipped Sam Stein of The Bulwark.
Trump went on to say that it occurred to him that he had access to the best doctors in the world, so he called them, "and they immediately went over to see the congressman, and he was on the operating table like two hours later."
Stein noted, "Trump is more or less claiming credit for saving Dunn's life (TBD on that)."
"So much for patient privacy is what I thought," CNN reporter Manu Raju said after the network played the exchange.
Raju said that the good news is that Dunn is doing better, but that it was a "remarkable statement" that Dunn was going to be "dead by June," which wasn't known at the time.
"We've known that Congressman Dunn has been ill.And the reason why it's gotten alot of attention is because ofjust how narrow the House Republican majority is.Remember, just one Republicandefection. That's all that Mike Johnson can afford to pass anylegislation right now. And thereare three open seats because ofvacancies. And there's questionsabout how long he can maintainthis majority because of — he's acouple of heartbeats away orresignations away from suddenlythe House being thrown intodisarray," Raju explained.