Houston Teen with Cancer Made Honorary Secret Service Agent During Trump Address

By Dan Carson

Source Houston Chronicle

In a wide-ranging speech punctuated by lambasts of the former administration and promises to cut government spending, President Donald Trump took a moment to single out a young man in attendance at Tuesday night's joint address to Congress.

Devarjaye "DJ" Daniel, a teen from the Houston area, sat in attendance on Tuesday night and stood when the president made note of him in the latter half of his speech. Trump, having just announced his desire for a federal law mandating the death penalty for anyone found guilty of murdering a police officer in America, called upon Daniel as an exemplary supporter of U.S. law enforcement.

"Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police," Trump said. "His name is DJ Daniel, he is 13 years old and he has always dreamed of becoming a police officer."

Daniel's father, Theodis Daniel, held DJ up to roars from the crowd. Born in San Antonio, Daniel was raised in Houston, where he still lives, according to his father. At Tuesday night's address DJ wore a police uniform complete with honorary Houston Police Department badges—one of many law enforcement honors he's received since being diagnosed with terminal brain and spinal cancer in 2018. During Tuesday night's proceedings, Trump bestowed another commendation on the young Houstonian: a badge recognizing him as an honorary member of the U.S. Secret Service.

"Tonight DJ, we're going to do you the biggest honor of them all," Trump continued. "I am asking our new Secret Service director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service."

The honor is just the latest for DJ, who, according to his father, has been sworn in by over 900 law enforcement agencies at the local, state, federal and international levels since his cancer diagnosis. In December, Theodis told KPNX's Sharinna Byrd that his son has underwent 13 brain surgeries and suffers from advanced stages of cataracts.

"I think his heart is bigger than his body," Theodis told Byrd. "He's been on just about any and every media outlet that you can think of. He's standing here before you today because of the resilience, the tenacity and aggressive nature to want to fight this cancer all the way being kind, nice and thoughtful and humble, anyone who meets him with him."

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