Donald Trump misses the irony in honoring cancer patient while cutting cancer research funds
Donald Trump honored a young cancer patient while addressing a joint session of Congress but seems not to have recognized the irony of doing so after he cut cancer research funds.
One of Trump’s very first moves in office was to pursue considerable cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which would snatch away billions of dollars that go toward the studies of cancer and other diseases. However, his and Elon Musk’s attack on cancer research funds started before he entered office. In December, the House agreed on a bipartisan budget deal to keep the government funded and running through the holidays. Following the agreement, though, Trump and Musk pitched a fit, demanding House Republicans to go back on their word, reject the bill, and create a new budget that adhered to Musk’s demands. The original bill designated $190 million for childhood cancer research, which has long been a bipartisan priority in the United States. When Musk, the richest man in the world, giddily introduced his new budget bill, the $190 million funds for childhood cancer research had been cut without cause.
However, Trump and Musk’s assault on cancer research isn’t over yet. The Trump administration wants to slash indirect NIH costs – clinical trials, lab research, equipment, etc. – to just 15%. Such a move would compromise life-saving research, including cancer research. On top of that, Trump’s freeze on NIH funds stalled billions in applications and grants that could be used to further cancer research. Yet, Trump seemed to forget these moves as he honored a young cancer patient during his address.
Donald Trump honors cancer patient while working to cut cancer research funds
During Trump’s address to Congress, he honored Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a 13-year-old boy battling brain cancer. Amid his battle with cancer, he set a goal to accomplish his dream of being a police officer and absolutely crushed it. In 2022, he was successfully sworn in as an honorary member of over 100 law enforcement agencies. He has earned the titles of police officer, SWAT member, fire marshal, and Texas game warden, just to name a few. Daniel added Secret Service Agent to his impressive resume during Trump’s address on March 4, 2025.
Wearing his Houston Police Department uniform, Daniel was sworn into the Secret Service by direct Sean Curran at Trump’s bidding. The swearing-in united Republicans and Democrats, who gave Daniel a standing ovation. However, the beautiful moment turned sober when Trump began discussing his health policies, and Democrats quickly remembered that he cut cancer research. Just before the holidays, he had his billionaire buddy, Musk, an unelected official, make the call that $190 million in childhood cancer research was a “waste” and needed to be removed from the House’s budget bill. Now, as President of the United States, he has been desperately trying to cut billions in research funding. It’s a move so egregious and outside his authority that a federal judge temporarily halted his actions.
Even so, Trump has been so desperate to snatch away cancer research funds that he has defied court orders to try to freeze NIH funds. These actions make a statement to the American people. They suggest that Trump doesn’t care about cancer patients or survivors. He thinks that research dedicated to improving and saving their lives is a “waste” and less important than contracts that have remained intact, like Musk’s billions in government funds. Daniel should have been made a Secret Service Agent during Trump’s address – that part he did right. However, he should also do right by Daniel in other ways, including ensuring that cancer research funds remain a bipartisan priority instead of convincing Republicans that these funds are somehow political or wasteful and should be cut.
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