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In a string of statements at a White House event announcing reduced prices for fertility drugs, President Donald Trump made several factually inaccurate claims that misrepresent current policies and statistics.
The event, focused on a new direct-to-consumer platform for fertility medications, quickly veered into familiar territory as the President repeated several claims that fact-checkers have previously debunked.
Most notably, Trump claimed prescription drug prices are “coming down 400%, 200%, 600%, numbers that nobody’s ever seen before,” later adding that some reductions reached “500, 600, 800%, in some cases even more.” These figures are mathematically impossible. A 100% price reduction would make medications free; anything beyond that would require pharmaceutical companies to pay consumers to take their products.
At the same event, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, cited a specific example of a fertility drug price dropping from $242 to $10. While Dr. Oz suggested this reduction was “too high to calculate without a more studied approach,” it represents a 95.9% price cut – significant, but far from the President’s claims of reductions exceeding 100%.
The President also reiterated his assertion that he has secured “over $17 trillion” in investment in the United States this year alone. This figure substantially exceeds even the White House’s own published figure of $8.8 trillion in “major investment announcements.” A CNN review of the White House’s list found that even the $8.8 trillion figure includes vague pledges, bilateral trade agreements rather than direct investments, and non-committal statements rather than firm investment plans.
On international relations, Trump claimed, “I don’t know of anybody that ended wars. I ended eight of them.” This statement mischaracterizes several situations. His count includes a diplomatic dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over a dam project that never escalated to armed conflict, a claimed prevention of conflict between Serbia and Kosovo that wasn’t an active war, and a supposed peace agreement in the Democratic Republic of Congo that wasn’t signed by the main rebel coalition and hasn’t stopped the ongoing conflict.
Regarding the current government shutdown, Trump claimed Democrats “want to spend $1.5 trillion on illegal immigrants.” This figure appears to be derived from a Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimate that Democrats’ overall spending proposal would add $1.5 trillion to the debt over a decade – not an amount targeted specifically at undocumented immigrants. The White House’s own analysis claimed Democrats proposed spending $193 billion on healthcare for “illegal immigrants and other non-citizens,” with most going to legal residents.
Trump also significantly exaggerated the historical prevalence of autism, claiming it was “1 in 20,000” about 20 years ago. According to CDC data, the known prevalence was actually between 1 in 110 and 1 in 125 two decades ago, and 1 in 150 in 2000. The current prevalence is approximately 1 in 31, not the varying figures of “1 in 12, 1 in 28, 1 in 32” that the President cited.
These misstatements highlight a pattern of numerical inaccuracies that continue to characterize the President’s public communications on policy matters, even during events focused on specific healthcare initiatives.
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8 Comments
The huge percentage reductions claimed by the President simply don’t add up. I’m curious to hear more details and analysis from independent experts to get a clearer picture of the actual progress, if any, on drug affordability.
Agreed, we need a sober, data-driven assessment of the real trends and challenges in this space, not exaggerated rhetoric. Transparency and accountability should be the priority.
It’s disappointing to see the President spreading misinformation, even on an issue as important as drug pricing. Fact-based policymaking is crucial, and I hope the administration course-corrects to rebuild public confidence.
It’s concerning to see the President making such demonstrably false claims about drug pricing. Exaggerated figures like 400% or 600% reductions are simply not possible. We need our leaders to be honest and transparent about the real challenges and progress in this area.
I agree, factual accuracy is critical, especially when discussing important public policy issues like drug affordability. Making up implausible statistics undermines public trust.
While any reduction in drug prices is welcome news, the President’s claims of 400-800% drops are patently false and undermine public trust. I hope the administration will focus on providing accurate information moving forward.
While the reported 95.9% price drop for the fertility drug is significant, the President’s much larger claims of 500-800% reductions strain credulity. I hope the administration focuses on realistic solutions rather than hyperbole.
Precisely. Providing context and perspective on the actual price changes, both positive and negative, would be a more constructive approach.