The father of a young cancer survivor honored by President Donald Trump in his speech lashed out at MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow for her negative observation.
“She needs to shut her mouth if she has nothing nice to say,” Theodis Daniel told the New York Post on Wednesday.
After announcing his intent to institute a mandatory death penalty for “anyone who murders a police officer” during his address to Congress, the president called out 13-year-old DJ Daniel in the audience. He spoke of the lad’s love of law enforcement and his diagnosis of brain cancer at age 6, then had him made an honorary Secret Service agent to the cheers of many in the chamber.
Maddow delivered a slew of fact-checks after Trump’s 1-hour, 40-minute ramble, then veered into no-win territory.
“For the record, and this is disgusting, the president made a spectacle out of praising a young man who has thus far survived pediatric cancer,” she said. “As if the president had something to do with that, which was in the midst of him praising DOGE. DOGE cuts, among some other things, have cut off funding for ongoing research into pediatric cancer.” (Advance to the 2:18 mark below for the comment.)
Maddow was right about federal funding for kids’ cancer research being in jeopardy, but DJ’s dad was taken aback that she criticized his son’s big moment.
“She does not need to put her bad energy on us,” the father added.
Maddow wasn’t the only host to catch flak for her analysis.
MSNBC colleague Nicolle Wallace also tried to make political points ― and the result was cringey.
“I hope he has a long life as a law enforcement officer,” she said. “But I hope he never has to defend the United States Capitol against Donald Trump’s supporters, and if he does, I hope he isn’t one of the six who loses his life to suicide, and I hope he isn’t one who has to testify against the people who carried out acts of seditious conspiracy and then lived to see Donald Trump pardon those people.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed Wallace at a press briefing.
“Last night, MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace disgustingly looped in a 13-year-old boy with brain cancer into an attack on the president over January 6,” she said.