Last night, Donald Trump used his State of the Union to gaslight the American people about prescription drug prices, but for millions of Americans standing at the pharmacy counter, that picture bears no resemblance to reality. Independent fact checkers quickly called out Trump’s lies. From national outlets to local newsrooms, they made it clear that there has been no sweeping drop in what people are actually paying out of pocket. They underscored that many of the discounts Trump touted don’t apply to people with private insurance, don’t change the cost at the pharmacy counter, or don’t apply to drugs that already have cheaper generic options. And they pointed out that claims of prices falling by 100 percent or more aren’t just exaggerated — they’re impossible.
While Trump may have patted himself on the back, the facts tell a very different story. Seniors are still struggling to cover medication costs. Parents are rationing inhalers and insulin to make ends meet. Patients with chronic illnesses are still often forced to choose between filling a prescription and paying the rent. The applause lines may have resounded in the chamber, but they don’t lower prescription drug costs at the pharmacy and Trump has done nothing but line the pockets of pharmaceutical companies.
NPR: Trump’s Claims On Drug Prices “Not True.” “For most people, using insurance and paying a copay for their medications will be cheaper than TrumpRx, according to an analysis by KFF. What many peer countries do to keep the prices of prescription drugs down is to regulate those prices. President Trump and congressional Republicans have generally rejected that approach, branding it as ‘government price setting.’”
Axios: “Most Americans Likely Won’t Feel Much Impact” From Trump’s Drug Pricing Initiatives. “But most Americans likely won’t feel much impact from the initiatives, economists and health policy experts say…Democrats and left-leaning advocacy groups quickly countered Trump’s claims that his administration is bringing down health care costs. ‘Premiums are skyrocketing, drug prices are outrageous, and hard-working people are being crushed under the weight,’ Brad Woodhouse, CEO of progressive group Protect Our Care, said in a statement ahead of the speech. ‘No amount of showmanship during the State of the Union can erase the reality millions are facing at their kitchen tables.’”
ABC News: Trump’s Drug Pricing Claims “Need More Context” As The Largest Price Cuts Stem From Medicare Negotiation. “Ben Jolley, senior fellow for healthcare at the American Economic Liberties Project, said manufacturers were already under pressure to cut prices and that the discounts apply to limited purchasing channels, not overall list prices. He noted that some of the largest recent price cuts stem from earlier laws, including the Medicare drug price negotiation program under the Inflation Reduction Act and higher Medicaid rebates under the American Rescue Plan, both signed into law by Joe Biden.”
CNN: “No, U.S. Prescription Drug Prices Are Not The Lowest In The World.” “No, US prescription drug prices are not the lowest in the world…He is not the first president to take action on drug prices. President George W. Bush enacted Medicare drug coverage and under Biden, Democrats, after years of trying, gave Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices.”
NBC News: Trump’s Claim That Other Presidents Failed To Lower Drug Prices Is “False,” And His So-Called Deals Have Little Impact. “Most of those deals, however, don’t change what people with private insurance or Medicare pay at the pharmacy counter. Medicaid patients already tend to pay little or nothing for prescriptions. And many of the drugs listed on TrumpRx have generic versions that cost less than the advertised prices.”
Newsweek: Trump’s Claims on TrumpRX “Mathematically Impossible.” “Moreover, Trump’s assertion that some prices have fallen by over 100 percent is mathematically impossible, as a drop of this size would mean the price fell below zero and that vendors were paying customers to take the product.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Trump “Distorted A Number of Facts” Including Drug Prices. “However, there’s no evidence of a broad decrease in U.S. drug prices, as we wrote in a recent story. In fact, the median list price for hundreds of brand-name drugs rose by 4% in 2025 and in 2026 thus far, according to the research firm 46brooklyn.”
WJCL: Trump’s Claim of Slashing Drug Costs “Isn’t Happening, Nor Is It Ever Expected To.” “There’s another complication: A 100% drop in a drug’s price means it would cost $0. Prices slashed by 300% to 900% would mean drug manufacturers are paying people who are obtaining medications, instead of the other way around. That isn’t happening, nor is it ever expected to.”
Jonathan Cohen (The Bulwark): Trump’s Drug Pricing Initiatives “Likely To Do Very Little.” “Trump says other presidents tried, didn’t get drug prices down. Actually the previous president — yes, Biden — enacted first-ever provisions for price negotiation by Medicare. All Trump has are voluntary arguments, still secret, likely to do very little.”
Larry Levitt (KFF): TrumpRx Claims Lack Critical Context. “President Trump negotiated lower prices for some drugs on TrumpRx, but discounts only apply to cash paying patients not using their insurance. Many drugs already had big discounts through manufacturers or coupons, and some have generic equivalents that are already much cheaper.”
Sarah Karlin-Smith (Public Citizen): Insurance Companies Aren’t Worried About Lower Prices. “The drug industry, Wall Street analysts & even CMS Administrator Oz have predicted minimal financial impact from Trump’s ‘most favored nation’ dealmaking on pharma or patients. Oz suggested drug companies helped ‘design a plan that doesn’t hurt [them].’”