President Donald Trump was criticized after he, in a bizarre moment while discussing the high cost of GLP-1 drugs in the United States, shared a story about a "very obese" friend of his who is on "fat drugs" that don't appear to be working.
Trump's administration has previously taken credit for a decline in prices, citing deals with drugmakers and the launch of the direct-to-consumer platform TrumpRx.
Trump was addressing a group of swing-district Republican lawmakers at a dinner at the White House Rose Garden when he mentioned that his friend had complained about the high cost of U.S. prescription drugs compared to Europe.
And much like just about anything Trump says, things quickly got weird:
“A friend of mine ― very, very heavy, he’s a very obese person ― I said, ‘You’re an extremely obese person. ... He's smart as hell but he's got a very serious weight problem."
"And he called me up, and he's from New York, he's one of the top guys on Wall Street. He's begging me, 'cuz I've told this story a couple of times, not to mention his name 'cuz I'll destroy his reputation. But he’s tough as hell, and he’s smart, vicious, wild."
"These are the people we have to deal with when you’re president. He used to call me ‘Donnie,’ now he calls me ‘president.’ ...“But he said, ‘you know, Mr. President, I was in London and I paid $86 for Ozempic. And in New York I pay $1,300 for the same thing. That’s a lot, that’s a big difference.'"
According to Trump, the friends investigated the pricing disparity and found out both weight loss drugs come "from the same factory" despite the significant difference in cost.
Trump added:
"I said, 'Are you taking this stuff?' 'Yeah.' I said, 'It's not working, you look like sh*t.'"
You can hear what Trump said in the video below.
Trump was widely mocked in response.
Trump has frequently mocked people for being overweight, including both political opponents and those in his own circle, despite having faced questions about his own weight over the years. According to the White House, his body mass index is 29.7, placing him near the upper end of the “overweight” range and just below the threshold of 30, which is classified as obesity.
He once declared himself a "perfect physical specimen" and boasted about his physical prowess, noting that his own White House physician had declared him "healthier than Obama"—despite Trump's distaste for exercise and fondness for fast food.
Trump has also been vocal about his aversion to exercise. In a New York Times Magazine profile, Trump expressed skepticism about the benefits of exercise, stating that people who work out regularly are often at risk of injuries and health issues.
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U.S. Mint
