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House Rep. Goes Off Script When Talking to Reporters
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House Rep. Goes Off Script When Talking to Reporters

Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California is drawing criticism after publicly speculating about President Donald Trump's health during a press conference Wednesday, suggesting without evidence that the president might have received an experimental drug intended for patients with life-threatening illnesses.

The remarks came after Trump postponed a scheduled White House event to sign a bipartisan housing bill.

Lieu questioned why the event had been canceled, saying, "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."

Trump, however, had already provided a public explanation for the postponement.


In a Truth Social post Wednesday morning, the president announced that he would delay signing the housing legislation until Congress passes the SAVE Act, writing, "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."

The housing measure itself passed the House by a 358-32 bipartisan vote after previously clearing the Senate.

Despite Trump's explanation, Lieu continued raising questions about the president's health.

"This erratic behavior of the president is very concerning," Lieu said. He went on to reference Trump's public appearances before suggesting the White House should provide additional information about the president's medical condition.

The congressman then cited a recent report from the health publication STAT concerning Eli Lilly's experimental obesity drug, retatrutide.

According to STAT, the company granted compassionate-use access to the investigational medication for one "well-connected" individual who was 79 years old when the request was made. Compassionate-use programs can, in certain circumstances, allow patients with serious or life-threatening conditions to receive investigational treatments outside of clinical trials, though eligibility depends on multiple regulatory and medical factors. Receiving a drug through such a program does not by itself establish that a patient has a terminal illness.

Without presenting evidence linking Trump to the report, Lieu asked whether the president was the unidentified recipient.

"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," 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?"

Lieu did not offer evidence that Trump received the medication, nor has the White House indicated that the president has been treated with retatrutide or diagnosed with a terminal illness.

The comments quickly generated backlash from critics, who argued that the congressman was engaging in unsupported speculation about the president's health. Others noted that Trump had already publicly explained why the bill signing was postponed, making Lieu's questions appear disconnected from the stated reason for the schedule change.

Written by Arthur Higgens - June 25, 2026