Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a Sunday afternoon X message that he had been diagnosed with and defeated a form of skin cancer.
Zeldin in his mailexpressed gratitude to the staff at Walter Reed Medical Center who “recently completely removed” a basal cell carcinoma (BCC) from his face. A Trump administration official said his experience is proof that early detection of skin cancer is critical, prefacing his post with: “PSA [public service announcement]: Apply sunscreen and check your skin.”
“I'm glad I'm cancer-free and I want to share my experience to help raise awareness for you and the people you care about,” Zeldin wrote in his post, which included a photo of him with a visible scar on his nose. “It all started with a small, pearl-colored, dome-shaped growth on my nose. After a biopsy, it came back positive for BCC.” (RELATED: Zeldin Defends Americans Worried About Messing with the Sun: Not 'tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists')
PSA: Wear sunscreen and check your skin.
I am grateful to the incredible medical team at Walter Reed Medical Center who recently completely removed a basal cell carcinoma (BCC) from my face.
I'm glad I'm cancer free and want to share my experience to help raise awareness… pic.twitter.com/dNC06Grk77
— Lee Zeldin (@LeeMZeldin) December 14, 2025
“Like many people, there have been many times in my life when I spent time in the sun without sunscreen. It was a mistake. Consistently using an SPF of 30 or higher and regular skin checks can go a long way toward preventing this from happening,” added the EPA administrator, who is married and the father of college-age twin daughters. “Working from home today, hanging out with Landman, watching the 2027 Super Bowl champion New York Giants play the Washington Commanders, and hanging out with my wonderful wife.”
“Please encourage your friends and family to wear sunscreen and see a dermatologist regularly. Early detection matters,” Zeldin concluded.
PEACH TREE CITY, GEORGIA – AUGUST 21: Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, applauds after introducing Vice President J.D. Vance to a crowd of President Donald Trump's supporters on August 21, 2025. (Photo by Megan Warner/Getty Images)
Days after he won his second term in November 2024, President Donald Trump announced he will choose Zeldin, a Republican, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Senate confirmed it was voted on January 29 by 56 to 42.
Zeldin, an attorney and retired Army officer, served four terms in the House of Representatives as congressman from New York's 1st District, which covers eastern Long Island. He did not seek re-election to a fifth term in 2022, but instead ran for governor of New York. He won the GOP nomination but lost to a blue state. general election incumbent Democratic Governor of New York Katy Khochul to a closer-than-expected margin of six percentage points.
BCC mainly caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun, which sunscreen prevents.
Zeldin's battle with BCC was not his first battle with cancer. diagnosed with early stage leukemia in November 2020. The following year, he announced that he was in complete remission after treatment.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and unbiased news service, is available free of charge to any legitimate news publisher that can reach a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter's byline and DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our policies or partnerships with us, please contact [email protected].
