US President Donald Trump has appointed 13-year-old DJ Daniel, a cancer survivor, as an honorary agent of the US Secret Service.
“Tonight, DJ Daniel, we are about to give you the greatest honour of all. I am instructing our new Secret Service director, Sean Curran, to formally name you an agent of the United States Secret Service,” Trump announced while addressing Congress on Tuesday.
The President praised Daniel for his strong admiration of law enforcement and acknowledged the hard work and commitment of police officers across the nation.
Dressed in a Houston police uniform, Daniel sat beside his father in the gallery of the House of Representatives as Trump recounted his remarkable journey.
Daniel was diagnosed with ependymoma grade III, a rare terminal brain and spine cancer in 2018. Doctors gave him just five months to live.
His passion for law enforcement began after witnessing police officers bring pizza to his family at a shelter when they were affected by Hurricane Harvey.
“That was over six years ago. Since then, DJ and his father have been dedicated to turning his dream into reality,” Trump said.
Since receiving his diagnosis, Daniel has been honoured as an honorary law enforcement officer by over 900 law enforcement agencies across the US.
In a video posted on X, he opened up about his fight with cancer and shared that he has had 13 brain surgeries.
Over the years, Daniel has travelled throughout the US, visiting various police departments and receiving honorary titles from law enforcement agencies in cities like Jasper, Mansfield, Lake Charles and Aurora.
The U.S. Secret Service states that candidates for an official agent role must be between 21 and 37 years old, have good vision and hearing, be in good health, and have no visible body markings.
However, honorary titles like the one Daniel received are classified under an excepted service category. This allows the government to skip usual hiring procedures in special situations.
These honorary positions are given for up to three years and 120 days. After that, individuals can either move into a permanent role or end their service.
