President Donald Trump was surprised Tuesday when a young Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patient Jordan McLinn hugged him after signing “Right to Try” legislation passed by Congress.
Jordan McLinn, a boy suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy hugs @realDonaldTrump after he signs “Right to Try” Legislation pic.twitter.com/MFzfpAeuHv
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) May 30, 2018
McLinn and his parents joined the president for the signing ceremony for legislation that would allow terminally ill patients the right to seek drug treatments that have not been fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
“Today I’m proud to keep another promise to the American people as I sign the Right to Try legislation into law,” Trump said.
Scott Gottlieb, the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, attended the event, noting that it took 3-10 years for federal approval for drugs, a process that he was working to speed up.
“This is the baby,” Trump said about the legislation praising members of Congress like Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) for pushing the bill forward in the Senate.
“He doesn’t stop, he doesn’t give up,” Trump said about Johnson.
The president noted that political figures had been pushing legislation for the right to try for 25 years, but that it never made it through.
Several American citizens currently fighting terminal illnesses and promoting the legislation joined the administration for the signing event. Trump expressed disappointment that some of the people present were seeking treatment in other countries because of restrictions in America.
“America has always been a nation of fighters who never give up,” Trump said, pointing to McLinn during the event. “This is very personal for me, as I proudly sign this bill, thousands of terminally ill Americans will have the help, the hope, and the fighting chance that they will be cured.”
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