Trump embraced by cancer warrior DJ Daniels, 13, in Oval Office after making him secret service agent: Live updates
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President Donald Trump was embraced by DJ Daniels, 13, in a tender moment in the Oval Office a day after his speech to Congress.
Trump made the child cancer survivor a member of his Secret Service protective detail in a viral speech moment that Americans loved.
'Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago,' said Trump.
'Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true.'
He then dispatched the director of the U.S. Secret Service Sean Curran to deliver a certificate making DJ an honorary agent.
Read all development with DailyMail.com's live blog
20:50
DJ Daniel, viral star of Tuesday's speech, meets Trump in the Oval Office
After stealing the show at last night's presidential speech to a joint session of Congress, DJ Daniel, 13, has just met Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
Last night Trump introduced him to a global audience and ordered that he become a Secret Service honorary agent.
Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago. Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true.
20:55
Exclusive:The heartwarming viral moment with a child cancer patient that helped Trump come across as 'caring'
It was one of the make-a-wish-come-true moments sprinkled through one of the most formal occasions on the presidential calendar.
It was one of the make-a-wish-come-true moments sprinkled through an otherwise formal occasion.
'Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago,' said President Donald Trump as he introduced 13-year-old Devarjaye 'DJ' Daniel who was watching the joint address to Congress from the gallery.
'Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true.'
He then dispatched the director of the U.S. Secret Service Sean Curran to deliver a certificate making DJ an honorary agent.
The moment went viral and a poll for DailyMail.com shows how it and other made-for-television moments resonated with viewers on Tuesday night.
19:56
Elon Musk departs lunch meeting with Senate Republicans
Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill:
Billionaire Elon Musk joined Senate Republicans on the hill on Wednesday for their luncheon.
Musk departed with his entourage just before 3pm but did not take any questions from the group of reporters waiting outside.
However, Senator Rick Scott did come out and spoke with reporters.
The Florida lawmaker said there was a lot of questions about what DOGE and the agencies are doing, and Musk remained consistent with what he’s been saying.
‘He has a team of people really understand technology. They’re going through and looking for anomalies where they can say “hey, does this makes sense? Should we be spending money this way?”’ Scott said.
Scott claimed then the agency head makes the decision.
‘On every issue, that’s exactly what the process is,’ Scott said.
Other senators described the meeting as ‘excellent.’
19:46
VP Vance conducts aerial survey of the southern border with Hegseth and Gabbard
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted images surveying the southern border in a helicopter on Wednesday.
Along with Hegseth for the trip are Vice President J.D. Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
'Border Security = National Security,' Hegseth wrote in a post to X with selfies alongside Vance and Gabbard in the helicopter.
19:17
Trump accuses 'Governor' Trudeau of using tariffs drama to 'stay in power' in explosive call
Donald Trump is tearing into 'Governor' Justin Trudeau of Canada after an explosive call between the leaders as the tariff war escalates.
Donald Trump tore into 'Governor' Justin Trudeau of Canada after an explosive call on Wednesday between the leaders as the tariff war escalates.
The pair spoke one day after Trudeau described Trump's 25 percent tariffs on U.S. imports into his country as 'dumb' in a blistering response.
'Justin Trudeau, of Canada, called me to ask what could be done about Tariffs. I told him that many people have died from Fentanyl that came through the Borders of Canada and Mexico , and nothing has convinced me that it has stopped,' Trump wrote on Truth Social.
'He said that it’s gotten better, but I said, "That’s not good enough."' he went on.
18:51
University of California now under DOJ investigation for alleged anti-semitism
Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter
The Justice Department is investigating the University of California for anti-semitism.
The investigation will assess whether the California college violated Title VII by engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, religion and national origin by ‘allowing an Antisemitic hostile work environment to exist on its campuses.’
‘This Department of Justice will always defend Jewish Americans, protect civil rights, and leverage our resources to eradicate institutional Antisemitism in our nation’s universities,’ Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement on the investigation.
Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism leading member and Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Leo Terrell said
Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks in Israel, there has been an outbreak of antisemitic incidents at leading institutions of higher education in America, including at my own alma mater at the UCLA campus of UC.
The impact upon UC’s students has been the subject of considerable media attention and multiple federal investigations. But these campuses are also workplaces, and the Jewish faculty and staff employed there deserve a working environment free of antisemitic hostility and hate.
18:34
Pete Hegseth says the US is 'prepared' to go to war with China after tariff retaliation threat
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. is 'prepared' for war with China in response to fighting words from the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. as the trade war heats up.
18:17
Conservatives look to censure Rep. Green for outburst at Trump's speech
Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter
House Republicans are preparing to formally reprimand Rep. Al Green for his lengthy outburst at President Donald Trump’s joint sessions address.
The Texas Democrat protested Trump’s remarks by heckling the president about medicare before House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered the Sergeant at Arms to remove the congressman from the chamber.
Now the House Freedom Caucus is leading efforts to issue a censure resolution against Green.
“You have no mandate to cut Medicaid,” the 77-year-old lawmaker shouted at Trump and is now accused of a ‘lack of decorum.’
17:03
Trump plans to slash 80,000 jobs from top agency as DOGE takes 'aggressive' measures
The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to reorganize and cut 80,000 jobs according to an internal memo authored by the department chief of staff Christopher Syrek.
The memo obtained by the Associated Press notes that the department wants to return to 2019 staffing levels of just under 400,000.
The memo instructs VA officials to work with DOGE to 'resize and tailor the workforce to the mission and revised structure' and 'move out aggressively, while taking a pragmatic and disciplined approach.'
17:00
Exclusive:Watch how Trump's transgender sports promise lands with voters in most popular part of speech
From Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Political Correspondent for DailyMail.com
President Donald Trump 's address to Congress was a hit with viewers but DailyMail.com polling shows how one portion of his speech particularly resonated with neutral observers.
Fifteen minutes into Tuesday night's speech, he turns to one of the issues that drove his election campaign.
'I signed an order making it the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,' he says.
When the response of viewers is plotted in real time it shows that neutrals like what they are hearing. The 'worm' of their responses ticks up, according to analysis by pollsters at J.L. Partners.
President Donald Trump 's address to Congress was a hit with viewers but DailyMail.com polling shows how one portion of his speech particularly resonated with neutral observers.
16:42
Howard Lutnick teases new Trump tariffs for Mexico and Canada as trade war escalates
President Donald Trump could announce rolling back some of the tariffs imposed on Canada and Mexico as early as Wednesday.
It comes just days after the U.S. imposed 25 percent tariffs on all good imported from the two neighboring countries this week rocketing the country into a trade war.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared on Bloomberg on Wednesday morning where he said the president is considering easing some tariffs.
'There are going to be tariffs, let's be clear, but what he's thinking about is which sections of the market that can maybe, maybe he'll consider giving them relief,' Lutnick said.
The commerce secretary said that could go until they get to April 2.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick indicated President Trump could announce the U.S. will roll back some of its tariffs imposed on all imports from Canada and Mexico as soon as Wednesday.
16:33
Donald Trump's $2 billion foreign aid freeze hits major setback with shock Supreme Court ruling
The Supreme Court in a 5-4 keeps in place a lower court judge's temporary restraining order that paused a freeze in roughly $2 billion in foreign aid spending.
A sharply divided Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a Trump administration push to rebuke a federal judge who imposed a quick deadline to release billions of dollars in foreign aid – prompting furious pushback from the minority.
By a 5-4 vote, the court told U.S. District Judge Amir Ali to clarify his earlier order that required the Republican administration to release nearly $2 billion in aid for work that had already been done.
Although the outcome is a short-term loss for President Donald Trump's administration, the nonprofit groups and businesses that sued are still waiting for the money they say they are owed. One of the organizations last week was forced to lay off 110 employees as a result, according to court papers.
It's the second time the new administration has sought and failed to persuade the Supreme Court to immediately rein in a lower-court judge in legal fights over actions taken by Trump.
16:25
Trump tells staff how he thinks his big speech to Congress went
Donald Trump was welcomed back to the White House on Tuesday evening by a group of his closest advisors and family members.
He told the room it was challenging making the speech to a very divided joint session of Congress.
'If you think that was easy – it wasn't,' Trump said in a 32-second video posted by the White House.
'You're a very special group and thank you very much,' the president added.
The video included quick messages from Trump's youngest daughter Tiffany, who is pregnant, his press secretary and his daughter-in-law Lara, who is married to his middle son Eric.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt got close to the camera and lauded: 'Best speech ever.'
President Donald Trump had barely got into his stride on Tuesday night before a Democratic lawmaker was on his feet in protest.
15:33
Pete Hegseth, J.D. Vance and Tulsi Gabbard head to the southern border
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President J.D. Vance departed Washington, D.C. the morning after President Donald Trump's joint session address.
The two are heading to the southern border along with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Trump directed his Pentagon Chief to take operational control of the southern border as he redirects troops to assist border patrol efforts.
15:33
Breaking:Congressman Sylvester Turner, 70, suddenly dies hours after attending Trump's big speech