Trump to 8-year-old: ‘If I had that head of hair I would have been president so long ago’

An eight-year-old boy whose mother helped push legislation giving terminally ill patients access to experimental treatments got some special attention from President Trump as he signed the “right-to-try” measure into law on Wednesday.

As Trump delivered remarks at the bill’s signing ceremony, he reached over and grabbed Jordan McLinn’s hand. 

“If I looked like that I would have been president 10 years earlier,” Trump said. “If I had that face — if I had that head of hair I would have been president so long ago. That’s great.”

.@POTUS giving a little love to Indianapolis boy Jordan McLinn as mom @LauraMclinn watches on #RightToTry pic.twitter.com/URY2GtuIgm

— Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) May 30, 2018

{mosads}

McLinn also received one of the pens that Trump used to sign the “right-to-try” legislation, which was passed by the Senate earlier this month before being sent to the president for final approval.

McLinn, an Indiana native, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a fatal disease that weakens the muscles. His mother, Laura, lobbied Indiana lawmakers to advance a “right-to-try” measure in the state.

That measure was signed in 2015 by then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who is now Trump’s vice president. 

Because the Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency, federal legislation was required to allow terminally ill patients to try experimental medications.