A powerful House Democrat is convinced that President Donald Trump is suffering from a terminal illness, and that his so-called behavior is linked to side effects from a “special drug.”
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) believes that Trump’s decision to cancel a bipartisan housing bill signing ceremony earlier this week is because he has a terminal illness and is suffering side effects from what he believes is a “special drug.”
“We have a bipartisan housing bill that both the Congress and Senate passed. It was supposed to be a big signing ceremony today in the Capitol, and then all of a sudden Donald Trump decides he’s not coming to sign the bill,” Lieu said.
“Well, why is that? Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Is he unable to stay awake today? What’s causing him to chicken out again? Is it Taco Wednesday, or is it side effects from a drug? We don’t know; this erratic behavior of the president is very concerning. He has trouble staying awake at multiple White House events and cabinet meetings. He has clearly some weakness in one of his arms. He’s got swelling in his hands, and the White House needs to come clean,” Lieu said.
“What we know is there’s a report saying that one person in America got this special new drug. It was a 79-year-old person who is very high-profile, and this drug can only be given under the compassionate use provision, meaning you do that if someone basically has a terminal illness,” Lieu said.
“So we need to know: Did Donald Trump get this special drug from Eli Lilly, and did he get it under that provision? And if he did, why is that the case?”
Take a listen —
.@RepTedLieu suggests Trump cancelled Housing bill because he got a special new drug for a terminal illness: "The White House needs to come clean…Did Donald Trump get this special drug? pic.twitter.com/ug6tlsSEwr
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 24, 2026
Earlier this week, President Trump said in Truth Social post that he had canceled his planned press conference and would not be signing the housing bill.
“Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” Trump said.
At the time, Trump voiced his frustrations in a post about Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s involvement with the housing bill.
“The Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren centric housing bill, which is of minor importance compared to lower interest rates, and even FISA, pales in comparison to passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,” Trump wrote.
“That is what Americans, both Dumocrats, Republicans, and everyone else, care about.”
The White House immediately responded to Lieu’s theory with a profanity-laced response, calling the congressman a “dumb*ss” and “b*tch.”
“Ted Lewd is a dumb*ss,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said on X.
“He probably spent hours laughing to himself thinking that peddling this lie would be funny. Sadly for Ted, there’s no special new drug to cure being a b*tch.”
Ted Lewd is a dumbass. He probably spent hours laughing to himself thinking that peddling this lie would be funny. Sadly for Ted, there’s no special new drug to cure being a bitch. https://t.co/gcBuYvTVZz
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) June 24, 2026
Trump, who turns 80 next month and was the oldest person elected U.S. president, and his health have been the subject of tremendous scrutiny.
Trump’s doctor reported after an annual physical exam in April 2025 that the president was “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief.
Months after the visit reported last April, Trump had a checkup after noticing what the White House described as “mild swelling” in his lower legs. Tests by the White House medical unit found that Trump had chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common in older adults that causes blood to pool in his veins.
At the time, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also addressed bruising on the back of Trump’s hands that has sometimes been covered by makeup. Leavitt said it was the result of irritation from frequent handshaking and aspirin use. Trump takes aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.