During a White House speech on December 17, President Donald Trump reflected on the achievements of his first year in his second term, covering topics from employment and wages to military strength and immigration. Among his claims, he highlighted efforts to lower drug costs by negotiating deals with companies like Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
However, one statement quickly went viral for an apparent math error. Trump claimed his negotiations had resulted in cutting drug prices by “400%, 500%, and even 600%,” which, mathematically, is impossible. A reduction above 100% would imply companies are paying consumers to use their products.
Trump said: “I negotiated directly with the drug companies and foreign nations… to slash prices on drugs and pharmaceuticals by as much as 400 per cent, 500 per cent, and even 600 per cent. In other words, your drug costs will be plummeting downward.”
While Trump has indeed been in talks to make medicines more affordable, NBC reports that the details of these agreements remain confidential or are not fully finalized.
The speech clip quickly circulated on social media. On X, user ‘Really American’ criticized the President: “BREAKING: In a manic, shouting speech, Trump demonstrated that he still doesn’t know math, insisting he’s slashed drug prices by 600 per cent. That’s not how it works, Donald.”
Other users added humorous takes: “A 600 per cent price cut would mean drug companies pay you to take medicine. That’s not policy that’s not knowing basic math,” and “This is good to hear. They are going to pay me to take the insulin?!”
Some supporters defended Trump’s intent, suggesting he meant to eliminate excessive markups on drugs rather than literally cutting prices by hundreds of percent.
This episode has reignited debates about Trump’s communication style and his approach to healthcare, highlighting how numerical exaggerations in speeches can quickly become social media fodder.
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