Trump's 'Most Favored Nation' Drug Order: America 'Will No Longer Subsidize the Health Care of Foreign Countries' (May 12, 2025)

President Donald Trump signed an order to make Americans pay the same low drug prices as the rest of the world. “But starting today, the United States will no longer subsidize the health care of foreign countries, which is what we were doing,” Trump said in the Roosevelt Room on May 12, 2025, according to the transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

“And we’ll no longer tolerate profiteering and price gouging from Big Pharma,” he said [1].

The video above shows Trump signing the most-favored-nation drug pricing order on May 12, 2025. Quotes are from the American Presidency Project and FOX 5 DC [1][2][3][4][5][6].

”Most Favored Nation”

“But it’s called ‘most favored nation.’ We are going to pay the lowest price there is in the world,” Trump said. “Whoever is paying the lowest price, that’s the price that we’re going to get.” [1]

“So we’re no longer paying 10 times more than another country,” he said [1].

”$88” in London

Trump told of a businessman friend who takes a weight-loss shot. “I just paid $88. And in New York, I pay $1,300. What the hell is going on?” the friend asked him, Trump said [1].

“It’s the identical pill that I buy in New York, and here, I’m paying $88 in London. In New York, I’m paying $1,300,” Trump said the friend told him [1].

”Suckers”

Trump gave more examples. “One breast cancer drug costs Americans over $16,000 per bottle, but the same drug from the same factory, manufactured by the same company, is one-sixth that price in Australia and one-tenth that price in Sweden,” he said [1].

“A common asthma drug costs almost $500 here in America, but costs less than $40 in the United Kingdom,” Trump said [1].

“And the weight-loss drug Ozempic costs 10 times more in the United States than in the rest of the developed world. Ten times more. Why? What did we do? Suckers. But we never had a President that had the courage to do this,” he said [1].

“But the drug lobby is the strongest lobby in this country, they say—the drug lobby,” Trump said [1].

”He Can’t Be Bought”

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Democrats had promised this for decades. “This was the fulcrum of Bernie Sanders’s runs for Presidency, that he was going to eliminate this discrepancy between Europe and the United States. But, as it turns out, none of them were doing it,” he said [1].

“We now have a President who is a man of his word, who has the courage,” Kennedy said. Trump, he said, had taken drug industry money too, “but he can’t be bought, unlike most of the politicians in this country. And he is standing here for the American people.” [1]

“There has never been a President more willing to stand up to the oligarchs than President Donald Trump,” Kennedy said [1].

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary added: “On behalf of the many doctors I’ve talked to about this very issue, thank you for taking the bull by the horns. Presidents on both sides of the aisle have talked about this and floated it and said they’ve wanted to do it. So you’ve had the courage to do it.” [1]

“Global Freeloading”

The order, Executive Order 14297, says: “The United States has less than five percent of the world’s population and yet funds around three quarters of global pharmaceutical profits.” [2]

“Americans will no longer be forced to pay almost three times more for the exact same medicines, often made in the exact same factories. As the largest purchaser of pharmaceuticals, Americans should get the best deal,” it says [2].

“My Administration will take immediate steps to end global freeloading and, should drug manufacturers fail to offer American consumers the most-favored-nation lowest price, my Administration will take additional aggressive action,” the order says [2].

”We Stopped a Nuclear Conflict”

Trump opened with news from abroad. “On Saturday, my administration helped broker a full and immediate cease-fire—I think a permanent one—between India and Pakistan, ending a dangerous conflict of two nations with lots of nuclear weapons,” he said [1].

He said he told both sides: “Come on. We’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it. Let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’re doing trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade.” [1]

“People have never really used trade the way I used it, that I can tell you,” Trump said [1].

“We also, as you know, created a situation where the Houthis, for the first time ever, have ceased firing, and they’ve let it be known that they’re not going to be firing at American ships anymore,” Trump said [1].

“In addition, yesterday we achieved a total reset with China after productive talks in Geneva,” he said [1].

”He’s Coming Home”

“And third, I’m very happy to announce that Edan Alexander, an American citizen who, until recently, most thought was no longer living—thought was dead—is going to be released in about 2 hours, actually,” Trump said [1].

“His parents are so happy. They’re so happy,” he said [1].

He credited his envoy, Steve Witkoff. “So I want to just thank Steve,” Trump said [1].

The day before, Trump broke the news. “I am happy to announce that Edan Alexander, an American citizen who has been held hostage since October 2023, is coming home to his family,” he posted on May 11, 2025 [4].

“This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators—Qatar and Egypt—to put an end to this very brutal war and return all living hostages and remains to their loved ones,” Trump wrote [4].

”They’re Giving Us a Free Jet”

An ABC News reporter asked about people who saw the Qatari jet as a personal gift. “You’re ABC fake news, right?” Trump said [1].

“Let me tell you, you should be embarrassed asking that question. They’re giving us a free jet,” he said [1].

“You know, there was an old golfer named Sam Snead. Did you ever hear of him? He won 82 tournaments,” Trump said. Snead’s motto, he said, was: “When they give you a putt, you say, ‘Thank you very much,’ you pick up your ball, and you walk to the next hole.” [1]

Trump said the new Air Force One planes from Boeing were late. “They’re way behind. They were way behind. Another mess that I inherited from Biden,” he said [1].

“And if we can get a 747 as a contribution to our Defense Department to use during a couple of years while they’re building the other ones, I think that was a very nice gesture,” Trump said [1].

“Now, I could be a stupid person and say, ‘Oh, no, we don’t want a free plane.’ We give free things out. We’ll take one too,” he said [1].

Asked whether he would use the plane after leaving office, Trump said: “No, I don’t. No.” He said it “would go directly to the library after—after I leave office.” [1]

By the Numbers

Less than 5 percent: America’s share of the world’s population [2].
About three-quarters: America’s share of global drug profits [2].
$16,000+: a bottle of one breast cancer drug in America, per Trump [1].
10 times: how much more Ozempic costs in America, per Trump [1].

What Happened Next

Edan Alexander came home. On May 12, Trump posted that Edan Alexander, “the last living American hostage,” was being released. “Congratulations to his wonderful parents, family, and friends!” he wrote [5].

The Air Force took the plane. “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a gifted Boeing 747 from Qatar for President Donald Trump to use as Air Force One, the Pentagon said Wednesday,” FOX 5 DC reported on May 21, 2025 [6].

“They are giving the United States Air Force a jet,” Trump said that day [6].

Pfizer signed on. On Sept. 30, 2025, Trump announced that Pfizer “has agreed to offer countless prescription medications at major discounts in the United States. It was a result of the most-favored-nation drug pricing order that we established earlier this year.” [3]

“Today, Pfizer is committing to offer all of their prescription medications to Medicaid, and it will be at the most-favored-nations prices,” Trump said. “Furthermore, Pfizer will invest $70 billion to reshore domestic manufacturing facilities.” [3]

He said discounted Pfizer drugs would “be available for direct purchase online at a website operated by the Federal Government.” [3]

For Trump receiving the MAHA report with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., see HYGO News’ page on May 22, 2025. For the Geneva truce with China, see the page on Trump’s tariff pause, April 9, 2025.