Former U.S. Senator and former University of Florida president Ben Sasse announced on Tuesday, December 23, that he has been diagnosed with metastasized stage four pancreatic cancer, a condition he described in blunt terms as terminal.
In a deeply personal message posted on X, the 53-year-old former Republican lawmaker from Nebraska addressed growing public speculation about his health. “This is a tough note to write,” Sasse wrote, before revealing that he received the diagnosis the previous week. He described the illness as “a death sentence,” while also expressing gratitude for the support he has received from family and close friends.
“I’m blessed with amazing siblings and half-a-dozen buddies that are genuinely brothers,” Sasse wrote. Reflecting on mortality, he added, “Sure, you’re on the clock, but we’re all on the clock. Death is a wicked thief, and it pursues us all.”
Sasse resigned as president of the University of Florida last year, citing concerns related to his wife’s epilepsy diagnosis. Following news of his cancer diagnosis, the university’s leadership issued a statement expressing shock and sympathy. Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini and Interim President Dr. Donald W. Landry said they were “shocked and saddened” and noted that even in illness, Sasse’s first instinct was to comfort others.
In Washington, Sasse carved out a reputation as one of Donald Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics, repeatedly challenging the former president’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged. He also condemned Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that the administration’s approach was neither reasonable nor responsible.
Sasse voted to impeach Trump during the former president’s second impeachment trial following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. At the time, he warned that blind party loyalty was eroding democratic accountability. “Tribalism is a hell of a drug,” Sasse said, stressing that lawmakers’ constitutional oaths should outweigh political convenience. The impeachment effort ultimately failed, underscoring the deep partisan divide that defined the Trump era.
He had previously voted to acquit Trump during the first impeachment trial in 2020.
Sasse left the U.S. Senate in 2022 to become the 13th president of the University of Florida, a move that drew controversy. His appointment faced opposition from segments of the university community, including a vote of no confidence from the UF Faculty Senate, though the Board of Trustees unanimously approved his selection.
During his inaugural address, Sasse pledged to make practical majors “even more practical,” while promising greater transparency and accountability at the university. He said he had not sought out the role but felt compelled to accept it as a cause rather than a career move.
One of the most controversial moments of his tenure occurred in April 2024 during a pro-Palestinian demonstration at UF’s Plaza of the Americas. Nine protesters were arrested and charged with offenses ranging from failure to obey police to felony battery. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis publicly praised the university’s swift response, contrasting it with what he described as failures at other campuses nationwide to suppress similar demonstrations.
As Sasse confronts a terminal diagnosis, his announcement has prompted renewed attention to both his political legacy and the increasingly polarized environment that defined his years in public office.
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