It was just last week when Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson alarmed many Americans when he announced he had a “serious problem” concerning his health, and he was undergoing a “major effort” to address it.
On Saturday night, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shared an update on Hanson, saying “He remains in our prayers.”
Hanson’s personal message indicates: “I wanted to share a brief health update. I recently underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and am now recovering. I’m doing well and hopeful as I move forward.
“Thank you for the many messages of support and prayers – they truly mean more than I can say. As I focus on recovery, I may not be able to respond to everyone, but please know how grateful I am.”
Please find an update from my dear friend and colleague, Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson. He remains in our prayers:
“I wanted to share a brief health update. I recently underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and am now recovering. I’m doing well and…
— Condoleezza Rice (@CondoleezzaRice) January 3, 2026
Hanson underwent surgery Tuesday at Stanford Medical Center in California.
As reported last week, Hanson made the announcement on his show, “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” and stated that he was presented with a “serious problem” that was difficult to diagnose.
“I’m having a major operation, and I’ve got a major problem and I’m gonna have a major effort to solve it and that’s all I can do,” Hanson said. “And I finally ended up going to the best medical center that I think that I know, Stanford Med, and the people there are wonderful. It’ll work out one way or the other.”
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The popular political commentator explained many of his viewers noticed his voice was sounding hoarse and he appeared unwell. It took nine months of testing for medical experts to discover the problem, prompting Hanson to undergo the knife.
“I don’t want to talk about my own problems, but I’ve had people call me and say, ‘You don’t look well, you’re hoarse, or you’re coughing.’ But it’s been a nine-month odyssey because the problem I had for a nonsmoker and nondrinker was a rare type and very hard to diagnose, so it’s no one’s fault other than my own perhaps for not realizing why I was not getting well,” Hanson said.
The health news about Hanson comes on the heels of former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska announcing he had metastatic pancreatic cancer on Dec. 23.
“Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die,” Sasse posted on X.
Friends-
This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die.
Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence.…
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) December 23, 2025
“Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too – we all do.”
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‘Serious problem’: Watch Victor Davis Hanson announce devastating life news
