‘DJ’ Daniel’s dad claps back at MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow after she branded Trump’s tribute to him ‘disgusting’

The father of the 13-year-old cancer survivor who was made a honorary Secret Service agent has slammed the MSNBC host who branded the tribute ‘disgusting’.

DJ Daniel, who has been battling a rare form of brain and spine cancer for six years, has always dreamt of becoming a law enforcement officer.

President Donald Trump made DJ a member of his Secret Service protective detail during his joint address to Congress Tuesday night in a viral speech moment that Americans loved.

DJ’s father Theodis Daniel held the youngster up as he received his badge from Director Sean Curran, while Republicans in the gallery chanted the boy’s name.

The heartfelt moment was hailed as ‘beautiful’ by MAGA allies, but was heavily criticized by liberals – including MSNBC star Rachel Maddow.

The presenter, speaking on her program The Rachel Maddow show, called the tribute ‘disgusting’ and accused Trump of making a ‘spectacle out of praising a young man who’s thus far survived pediatric cancer’.

But former Navy machinist mate and fireman Theodis hit back at Maddow, saying the host ‘needs to shut her mouth if she has nothing nice to say’.

‘This lady didn’t even serve time in the military,’ he told the New York Post. ‘I was on the USS Kitty Hawk. She does not need to put her bad energy on us.’ 

MSNBC star Rachel Maddow, speaking on her namesake program, called the tribute ‘disgusting’ and accused Trump of making a ‘spectacle out of praising a young man who’s thus far survived pediatric cancer’

DJ and his father Theodis visited the Oval Office on Wednesday. DJ gave Trump a ‘big hug’, which the president embraced

Theodis, 47, said the family was approached by the White House, who claimed the president wanted to meet his son. 

The administration flew them to DC and had FBI agents pick them up from the airport, he told the Post. 

During the Congressional address, the Daniel family was sat next to First Lady Melania Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, who has been dubbed Trump’s ‘First Buddy’.

Theodis claimed that Musk shook their hands and hailed the First Lady for being so ‘nice, sweet, down to earth’.

The father-son duo also visited the visited the Oval Office on Wednesday. DJ gave Trump a ‘big hug’, which the president embraced.

The youngster’s aunt told the newspaper that Trump’s tribute to DJ was ‘awesome’ and claimed that ‘such an honor will help him to reach his goals’. 

DJ is trying to get sworn in to as many law enforcement agencies as possible as he and his family try to raise awareness about his condition.

According to his father, the Secret Service induction was DJ’s 909th swearing-in as an honorary law enforcement officer.

The boy’s first swearing-in occurred in Brookshire, Texas in 2019, when DJ, then six, was made an honorary officer with the city’s police department. 

Two years later, Theodis invited the Texas state troopers to celebrate DJ’s ninth birthday. A ‘swarm of officers’ showed up and helped swear him in. 

‘It grew from there. Suddenly everyone wanted to have him in,’ Theodis recalled. 

The 13-year-old has been battling brain cancer for six years, since his 2018 diagnosis. At the time, he was told he would likely only live another five months

Theodis (pictured shaking President Trump’s hand in the Oval Office on Wednesday) has hit back at MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, saying ‘she needs to shut her mouth if she has nothing nice to say’

DJ decided he wanted to be a law enforcement officer after being inspired by the Houston police department’s response to Hurricane Harvey. 

But he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2018 and – at the time – was told he would likely only live another five months.  

In order to help make sure DJ’s dreams come true, Trump revealed during his speech to Congress that DJ would receive ‘the biggest honor of them all’.

‘He has always dreamed of becoming a police officer,’ Trump said. ‘But in 2018, DJ was diagnosed with brain cancer.’

‘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.’

‘And tonight, DJ, we’re going to do you the biggest honor of them all.’

DJ was held up by Theodis for the touching moment as he received his badge from new Secret Service Director Sean Curran. 

Republicans in the House gallery chanted ‘DJ.’ But the Democrats remained noticeably silent, refusing to applaud or stand in support of the young boy.

President Trump shared a heartwarming moment with a little boy suffering from brain cancer during his Congress speech by making him an honorary Secret Service agent

Republicans in the House gallery stood up, clapping and chanting ‘DJ’, while many Democrats remained noticeably quiet in their seats

In order to help make sure his dreams come true, Trump (pictured during his speech to Congress) revealed that DJ would be officially sworn in as a Secret Service agent

Republicans were outraged by the response with Donald Trump Jr leading criticism against the ‘deeply disturbed’ Democrats on his father’s platform Truth Social.

‘If you can’t stand up and cheer for a kid with brain cancer being made an honorary member of the Secret Service, then you might be a deeply disturbed and f***ed up person!!!’ the First Son posted.

Don Jr’s remarks were echoed by MAGA allies who branded the Democrats as ‘awful’, ‘lousy’ and ‘heartless’ – as liberals hit back, alleging that Trump was using the boy as a ‘political prop’. 

‘Democrats refused to stand for the brain cancer surviving kid! How awful can one party be?’ tweeted Outkick founder Clay Travis. 

Ric Grennell, an official in Trump’s Administration, said: ‘A terminally ill child with brain cancer is given an honorary Secret Service award and the Democrats refuse to stand or clap for the child.’

Republican activist Scott Pressler added: ‘Democrats didn’t even stand for the boy who survived brain cancer.’

‘Can’t believe the lousy Democrats can’t even applaud a little boy with brain cancer or a Kennedy who wants to Make America Healthy Again,’ tweeted New York Post columnist Miranda Devine.

‘The Democrats tonight did not even applaud for this 13 years old boy with brain cancer. They seemed cold and heartless,’ slammed 2024 congressional nominee Lily Tang Williams.

‘Did they have a prior party agreement: no matter what, don’t clap? They have no independent thinking skills.’

Donald Trump Jr has launched a scathing attack against the ‘deeply disturbed’ Democrats who refused to clap as his father honored a young boy suffering from brain cancer

Don Jr’s remarks were echoed by MAGA allies who branded the Democrats as ‘awful’, ‘lousy’ and ‘heartless’

Meghan McCain, whose father Sen. John McCain (R- Arizona ) died of brain cancer in 2018, did not launch a wave of criticism, but instead praised the president for creating such a ‘beautiful’ and ‘special’ moment

Meghan McCain, whose father Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) died of brain cancer in 2018, did not launch a wave of criticism, but instead praised the president for creating such a ‘beautiful’ and ‘special’ moment. 

‘This is the first time I can remember crying during a state of the union. Thank you President Trump,’ she wrote. ‘This is so beautiful. Anyone who has been impacted by brain cancer knows how special this is.’

Democrats, however, expressed skepticism over Trump’s gesture, suggesting that he was using the Daniels family for political gain. 

Liberal commentator Kyle Kulinski accused Trump of ‘using a kid who had brain cancer as a prop’.

‘Trump honoring a child with brain cancer tonight and then leading a standing ovation for him while simultaneously eliminating all spending for child cancer research is a perfect encapsulation of MAGA morality,’ wrote self-proclaimed Democrat Carlos Turnbull. 

‘Not really even sure what to say in response to Trump using a child with brain cancer as a political prop,’ added Sam Weinberg, Executive Director of Path to Progress.

Democrats, however, expressed skepticism over Trump’s gesture, suggesting that he was using the Daniels family for political gain

DJ underwent 13 surgeries by the time he was 12 years old. 

Trump said during his speech to Congress that driving down childhood cancer rates and studying autism cases in the US will be a top priority for his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Childhood cancer remains rare in the US, with about 15,000 children diagnosed with the disease every year.

Cases of pediatric cancer have risen in recent years, but treatments have improved, leading to a decline in deaths from the disease.

‘Our goal is to get toxins out of our environment, poisons out of our food supply and keep our children healthy and strong,’ he said.