Trump Claims He Cut Drug Prices by 1,500% — Math, Meet MAGA 🤔💊
“I don’t mean 50 percent… I mean 1,400, 1,500 percent.” – Donald Trump, May 2025
📉 The Claim
During a speech earlier this year, Donald Trump said his administration was “cutting drug prices by 1,200, 1,300, 1,400, even 1,500 percent” — stressing that these cuts would happen “over the next few months.” (The Daily Beast)
In plain English? If his math were correct, pharmaceutical companies would be paying people to take their meds. Spoiler: that’s not how economics works. Even Fox Business analysts blinked at this one.
🧮 The Math Problem
Fact-checkers were quick to point out that anything over a 100% reduction means the price isn’t just zero — it’s below zero. You’d be leaving the pharmacy with a bag of meds and a stack of cash. Unfortunately (or, depending on your perspective, fortunately), this has never happened in the history of capitalism.
Geoffrey Joyce, a professor of pharmaceutical economics, called the claim “total fiction” (AP News).
📜 The Actual Policy
Trump was likely referring to his push for “Most Favored Nation” pricing, which would align U.S. drug prices with the lowest cost paid by other developed countries (Washington Post).
The real numbers? Executive orders and policy drafts suggest cuts of 30% to 80% — ambitious, but still anchored in reality (AP News).
🗣️ Why Say 1,500%?
- Shock Value – Big numbers make big headlines.
- Messaging Over Math – The focus is on political punch, not calculator accuracy.
- Framing – By comparing U.S. prices to those of other nations, the “difference” can be exaggerated into inflated percentages.
📊 The SMH America Verdict
Sources:
- AP News – Fact Check: Trump’s 1,500% Drug Price Claim
- The Daily Beast – Unhinged MAGA Math
- Washington Post – Most Favored Nation Drug Pricing
TL;DR SMH America 🤦♂️😏☕
Trump says he’s cutting drug prices by 1,500%. Reality says 30–80%. The only thing at 1,500% is the exaggeration rate.
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