DJ Daniel, 13, a brain cancer survivor who dreams of becoming a law enforcement officer, met President Donald Trump at the Oval Office of the White House, just hours after he won the hearts of millions of people when he received the honorary Secret Service membership during Tuesday’s joint speech to Congress.
Daniel was seen in a shared video on X standing with Trump at the Oval Office and saying, “There’s another thing I have for you: a huge hug.”
The president responds, “OK, good, that’s very nice,” as they embrace.
Trump shakes Daniel’s father’s hand, asks him how he is, and then adds, “That was an exciting evening last night, right? That was a big evening.”
The Texas boy’s expression during the surprise Tuesday night went viral on social media, along with video of his father holding him up in the air to hug director of the U.S. Secret Service Sean Curran, who presented him with a customized Secret Service badge.
“I was not expecting it,” Daniel said on Wednesday. “Nobody even told us [it was going to happen].”
After his cancerous brain tumor was diagnosed in 2018, doctors gave him only five months to live. He survived and underwent numerous surgeries.
Trump said that Daniel’s father was on a quest to fulfill his son’s desire to become a policeman. Daniel has already been inducted as an honorary member of local departments.
Daniels said that he hoped his brown cowboy hat, which he had given to Trump in Texas, would make it through security.
Daniels’s heartwarming moments on video are not limited to Tuesday night.
Tennessee Highway Patrol posted a video from 2022 of Daniel becoming an honorary trooper at the Nashville Police Department.
The agency said: “DJ Daniel is the new honorary Special Agent for the United States of America @SecretService. Congratulations to him #DJDaniel.”