Trump signs executive order aiming to lower US drug costs
CNN23 hrs
Trump Orders Significant Drug Price Cuts
Above: U.S. President Donald Trump outside the West Wing of the White House on May 8, 2025. Image copyright: Bonnie Cash/Contributor/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
For too long, pharmaceutical companies have exploited American patients while giving steep discounts to other countries. Unlike his predecessors, Trump is doing something about this problem and making sure American taxpayers stop subsidizing drug research and development costs for the entire world. Under this order, Americans are finally getting a fair deal.
Democratic narrative
This order is detached from reality, and it's unclear how much it will actually save American patients. There are several better ways to resolve the problem of high drug prices in the United States, including breaking up pharmaceutical monopolies. In addition, the leverage of a single-payer system, which Republicans continually oppose, could be a panacea.