During a press conference on Monday, Donald Trump revealed that Republican congressman Neal Dunn had been dealing with a serious heart condition that doctors once believed could be fatal. Speaking about Dunn’s health, Trump said the congressman had received a grim diagnosis before undergoing treatment that ultimately helped save his life.

“It was a terminal diagnosis. He would be dead by June,” Trump said while addressing reporters. The remarks surprised Mike Johnson, who indicated that the severity of Dunn’s medical condition had not been publicly discussed before. Johnson said, “OK, that wasn’t public, but, yeah, OK, it was grim."

Trump explained that Dunn had undergone a major medical procedure to address his heart issues.“It was a long operation. They gave him more stents and more everything,” Trump said, adding that the Florida congressman now has “a new lease on life. He has more energy than a man half his age.”

According to Johnson, Trump personally helped arrange Dunn’s medical care after learning about his health crisis. The speaker said Trump reached out to Dunn and connected him with doctors from the White House Medical Unit as well as military physicians at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre.

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Johnson described Dunn’s recovery as remarkable

“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 added that Johnson had earlier told him Dunn’s condition appeared hopeless because of a severe heart problem.

“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.

Johnson also noted that Dunn had continued to attend work despite his health challenges. After Trump personally phoned him to thank him for showing up, the president offered to arrange medical treatment.

Within hours, Dunn was reportedly admitted to Walter Reed and underwent emergency surgery.

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Who is Neal Dunn?

Neal Dunn is a Republican lawmaker representing Florida in the US House of Representatives. Before entering politics, he built a career as a physician. Dunn has served in Congress since 2017 and has been part of the Republican majority in the House.

His recent health crisis drew attention during Monday’s press conference, where Trump and Johnson both said they believe Dunn’s condition has improved significantly after the treatment.

Earlier the same day, Trump also announced that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer but would continue working while undergoing treatment. Dunn’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Trump’s remarks.