What percent did trump say he would lower drug prices?
Executive summary
President Trump has publicly claimed hugely implausible percentage reductions — saying he would cut drug prices “1,000 percent, 600 percent, 500 percent, 1,500 percent” in remarks and briefings [1]. Independent fact‑checkers and mainstream outlets call those figures mathematically impossible and have reported more realistic expert estimates of potential reductions in the 30–80% range tied to his “most‑favored‑nation” (MFN) approach [2] [3].
1. What Trump actually said — big, precise numbers
In public remarks and at events, Trump repeatedly used hyperbolic percentage figures — citing examples such as “1,000 percent, 600 percent, 500 percent, 1,500 percent” as how much he would lower drug prices [1]. The White House fact sheets and executive orders framing his policy emphasize forcing U.S. prices down to the “most‑favored‑nation” levels other developed countries pay, but the administration’s own materials do not provide a mathematically coherent explanation for the extreme percentages he cited [4] [5].
2. Why those numbers are impossible
Multiple outlets and fact‑checkers flagged the claim that prices could fall by more than 100% as impossible because a reduction greater than 100% would mean people are paid to take medications — a mathematical absurdity [2] [6]. The Associated Press explicitly labeled the “up to 1,500%” claim false and called it “total fiction” according to experts quoted [2]. The Washington Post also reported the assertion as a mathematical impossibility [6].
3. What experts say is plausible
Policy analysts and health economists say the MFN concept could produce substantial but realistic price declines if implemented — with expert estimates cited in reporting ranging roughly from 30% to 80% reductions for some drugs if the order’s goals are achieved [3]. Axios and legal/industry analyses note the MFN idea ties U.S. prices to generally lower government‑negotiated prices abroad, which could plausibly yield large but not astronomical reductions [7] [8].
4. What the administration actually implemented
The White House has issued executive orders and fact sheets describing MFN pricing steps and letters to manufacturers, and reported a series of manufacturer agreements and negotiated discounts in 2025, including deals with major firms and claims of major savings for Medicare under negotiated prices [9] [5] [10]. The Trump administration later said negotiated Medicare prices for a set of drugs would have reduced Medicare spending on those products by 44% had they been in effect in the prior year [11].
5. Political spin and competing narratives
Supporters frame MFN and the administration’s deals as “historic reductions” that put American patients first [9]. Opponents and some conservative critics (for example, groups allied with Mike Pence) framed the policy as “socialist price controls” that could harm pharmaceutical R&D [12]. The White House pushed back, saying Americans have been paying far more than other countries and that aggressive action is required [12] [4].
6. Media and fact‑checks — balancing hype and policy detail
Fact‑checking outlets have separated the rhetorical claims from policy mechanics: they acknowledge that the policy could produce meaningful cuts (30–80% for some drugs), but they uniformly reject the hyperbolic >100% figures as false [3] [2]. News reporting documents administration actions (executive orders, manufacturer agreements) and quantifies specific program effects such as the 44% Medicare reduction cited in coverage of negotiated drug prices [11] [9].
7. Limitations and what’s not in current reporting
Available sources do not mention a detailed, source‑by‑source mathematical breakdown from the White House that justifies the >100% percentage claims; reporting shows the administration’s policy aims and some negotiated outcomes but not an explanation that makes the extreme figures mathematically coherent [9] [4] [1]. Also not found in current reporting: independent verification that any drug’s U.S. list price has dropped by the inflation‑defying amounts Trump suggested [2] [6].
8. Bottom line for readers
Trump publicly touted reductions of “up to 1,500%,” a claim fact‑checkers and math rule out as impossible [1] [2]. Policy experts and reporting indicate the MFN strategy and negotiated deals could lower prices substantially — plausibly in the tens of percent for certain drugs, and the administration has pointed to concrete negotiated savings such as a 44% reduction in Medicare spending on a 15‑drug set — but not the extreme multiple‑times cuts Trump sometimes invoked [3] [11].