What exact words did Trump use when mentioning his kidneys and heart and in which speech or interview did he say them?

1. Where and when he said it — the setting matters

Trump delivered the remark during a public speech at the Ronald Reagan/International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., on July 10, 2019, in which he unveiled the “Advancing American Kidney Health” initiative and signed an executive order aimed at increasing transplants and home dialysis ^{[2] [1]}. The line appears near the conclusion of that on‑stage address as he thanked advocates, clinicians and volunteers gathered for the announcement ^{[1] [6]}.

2. The exact words — verbatim citations

Multiple contemporary transcripts and video captions record the wording consistently: variations include “You’ve worked so hard on the kidney. Very special — the kidney has a very special place in the heart” and “The kidney, very special, the kidney has a very special place in the heart” ^{[1] [3] [7]}. Outlets reproducing the clip quoted the phrase exactly and posted the footage, making the wording traceable to that event ^{[2] [7]}.

3. How the line was received — ridicule and defense

News organizations and social media turned the line into a viral moment, with many mocking the apparent anatomical inaccuracy — kidneys are not in the heart — and publishing riffs and jokes ^{[8] [9]}. At the same time, some commentators and a few outlets argued he was likely speaking figuratively — saying kidneys “have a very special place in the heart” to emphasize personal or emotional importance rather than asserting anatomy ^{[4] [5]}.

4. Context inside the speech — policy substance alongside the quip

The comment didn’t occur in isolation: Trump’s speech outlined concrete policy claims and targets, including that an “estimated 17,000 additional Americans could receive kidneys” under reforms and that the initiative could enable up to 11,000 more heart, lung and liver transplants annually — figures cited in the White House text of his remarks ^[1]. The event was framed by the administration and kidney‑care advocates as a major policy push to expand transplantation and home dialysis ^{[6] [10]}.

5. Evidence basis and sourcing — what reporting shows

Primary sourcing for the exact phrasing comes from the White House transcript of the remarks and contemporaneous video/transcripts archived by outlets such as C‑SPAN; mainstream and international outlets independently quoted the same words, confirming the quotation’s accuracy ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The proliferation of the phrase across independent outlets (news18, Independent, NDTV, Indian Express, Spin, etc.) indicates the line was recorded and disseminated from the event itself ^{[9] [4] [5] [3] [7]}.

6. Limits and alternative interpretations

Available sources do not claim the president intended a literal medical assertion that kidneys are located in the heart; several reports explicitly state critics mocked it as an anatomical error while others defended it as a misplaced figure of speech ^{[4] [5]}. If you are seeking Trump’s intent beyond the words and the event — for instance, an on‑record clarification from him about whether he misspoke — available sources do not mention such a direct follow‑up statement correcting or elaborating the line (not found in current reporting).

7. Why this matters — rhetoric, optics and policy attention

The episode shows how a policy speech’s offhand phrase can dominate coverage, shifting attention from substantive goals — like the administration’s target to double available kidneys and to increase home dialysis — to personal gaffes ^{[6] [1]}. That dynamic matters because it affects public focus: the policy measures and numerical claims documented in the same remarks are part of a major initiative on kidney care, yet the viral line became the most widely cited takeaway ^{[6] [1]}.

If you want, I can pull the exact timestamped video clip from the C‑SPAN archive and provide the surrounding 30 seconds of transcript so you can see the line in context ^[2].