Mike Johnson’s sons were near drowning Mar-a-Lago event last year

After having dinner with former President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida last fall, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated that his sons came dangerously close to drowning. Details of the event were included in a new feature on Johnson that was published by The Atlantic.

According to The Atlantic, the Speaker traveled to Palm Beach, Florida, during the week of Thanksgiving in order to participate in a fundraising event. While there, he and his sons had dinner with the former president.

The following day, Johnson's security detail entered a conference room at a hotel near the beach where he was meeting with donors, saying "Mr. Speaker, we need you right now."

Accident Details

It was reported in a profile published in The Atlantic that a riptide had carried away the Speaker's sons and one of his teenage kids, Will, was in danger of drowning, and the other son, Jack, was attempting to bring his brother to the surface.

Will's head was seen by a parasailer, who was subsequently able to notify lifeguards, who used jet skis to retrieve the boys.

When the Speaker arrived at the beach, he found medical staff around his children and pumping their chests. The boys were in the process of receiving treatment.

A total of four hours passed before the boys were finally discharged from the emergency room and allowed to return home.

Johnson's Comments

“President Trump heard about it somehow—miraculously, this never made the news,” Johnson said, according to The Hill.

It was reported by The Atlantic that President Trump and Johnson had a phone conversation after the incident.

“He was just so moved by the idea that we almost lost them, and we talked about it at great length,” Johnson continued, per The Atlantic.

“And we talked about the faith aspect of that, because he knows that I believe that, you know—that God spared the lives of my sons. That’s how I understand those events, and we talked about that.”

“And he said, he repeated back to me and said, ‘God—God saved your sons’ lives,’” Johnson added.