Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin revealed in a Sunday afternoon post to X he was diagnosed with and beat a form of skin cancer.
Zeldin, in his post, expressed gratitude for staff at Walter Reed Medical Center who “recently fully removed” basal cell carcinoma (BCC) from his face. The Trump administration official stated his experience is proof early skin cancer detection is crucial, prefacing his post with the words, “PSA [public service announcement]: Wear sunscreen and get your skin checked.”
“I’m relieved to be 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 picture of him with a visible scar on the side of his nose. “It started as a small, pearl-colored, dome-shaped lesion on my nose. After a biopsy, it came back positive for BCC.
PSA: Wear sunscreen and get your skin checked.
I’m grateful to the incredible medical team at Walter Reed Medical Center who recently fully removed basal cell carcinoma (BCC) from my face.
I’m relieved to be cancer-free, and I want to share my experience to help raise awareness… pic.twitter.com/dNC06Grk77
— Lee Zeldin (@LeeMZeldin) December 14, 2025
Should public awareness campaigns about sunscreen use be enhanced?
“Like many people, there were plenty of moments in my life when I spent time in the sun without sunscreen. That was a mistake. Consistently using SPF 30 or higher and getting regular skin checks can go a long way in preventing this,” added the EPA administrator, who is married and the father of twin college-age daughters. “Working from home today, catching up on Landman, watching the 2027 Super Bowl Champion NY Giants play the Washington Commanders, and hanging with my awesome wife.”
“Please encourage your friends and family to wear sunscreen and see a dermatologist regularly. Early detection matters,” Zeldin concluded.
Days after he won his second term in November 2024, President Donald Trump announced he would be selecting Zeldin, a Republican, to lead the EPA. The Senate confirmed him in a Jan. 29 vote of 56 to 42.
Zeldin, an attorney and retired Army officer, served in the House of Representatives for four terms as the congressman for New York’s 1st district, which covers the eastern portion of Long Island. He did not seek reelection to a fifth term in 2022, instead running for New York governor. He won the Republican nomination but lost the blue state’s general election to incumbent Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul by a closer-than-expected margin of six percentage points.
BCC is largely caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun, which sunscreen works to prevent.
Zeldin’s battle with BCC was not his first bout with cancer, as he was diagnosed with early stage leukemia in November 2020. The following year he announced, after treatment, he was in complete remission.
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