Trump reveals he paid for Patty Morin’s eye surgery, checks on her at White House ceremony

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump paused his speech during the Angel Families Remembrance Ceremony at the White House on Monday, February 23, to check on a woman in the audience. He spoke with Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin, and asked about her health and upcoming eye surgery.

Rachel was murdered in August 2023 by Salvadoran national Victor Martinez Hernandez. Read on to learn what transpired during the exchange between President Trump and Patty.

Trump checks on Patty Morin’s eye surgery

During the ceremony in the East Room of the White House, President Donald Trump recognized families who have lost loved ones in crimes committed by people living in the country illegally. Patty Morin is one of several family members who regularly attend events and speak publicly in support of Trump and his policies following their personal losses.

While delivering his remarks, President Trump suddenly stopped and pointed Patty out in the crowd. He noticed her near the front of the room and addressed her directly from the stage.

Trump began, “Hello, darling! How are you? right behind? You look, my friend, right? Are you okay? Yes, you. Are you okay? Are you okay?”

Patty responded, “I'm doing very well, good.” Trump said, “Wednesday, I gave her money to get her eyes fixed a lot of money to get her eyes fixed but Doctor ripped me off, but that's okay.”

Patty explained that her surgery was scheduled for Wednesday after it had been delayed. “It was postponed because they said the grief caused me to have a heart attack,” she said.

“You're going to have 20/20 vision. You know she's almost blind. Cataracts. She's almost blind,” President Trump said. “He's an expensive doctor. Top of the line, right? But you know what? You're going to have 20/20 vision.”

Before returning to his speech, President Trump added, “I noticed you're wearing glasses. I saw you yesterday on television wearing glasses, and I said, well, but anyway, but uh. You know, speaking of your family would be a lot different right now except for the election.”

Trump signs National Angel Family Day proclamation

President Donald Trump honored families who lost loved ones to crimes committed by people living in the country illegally.

“Throughout this hall, I am joined by heartbroken Americans who have lost parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, and treasured loved ones to the scourge of illegal immigration, let in by the past administration,” the president said. “Under the Trump administration, their suffering is forgotten no longer,” he told attendees.

Allyson Phillips, the mother of Laken Riley, spoke at the event and remembered her daughter, a 22-year-old nursing student. Venezuelan national Jose Ibarra killed Riley while she was jogging on the University of Georgia campus in February 2024.

Other family members also took the stage to share personal stories about their loved ones. Steve Ronnebeck said an undocumented immigrant shot and killed his 21-year-old son, Grant, in Arizona. He called the deaths “preventable” and urged officials to enforce immigration laws more strictly.

“They could have been stopped. We could have done so much more,” Ronnebeck said.

At the end of the event, Trump signed a proclamation designating February 22 as “National Angel Family Day.” In a statement, the White House said, “We stand with the Angel Families, many of whom continue to be left without justice. And we recommit to carrying out the largest mass-deportation effort in our Nation’s history, getting the worst of the worst out of our country, and putting a stop to the violence targeting the brave men and women of law enforcement."