Trump Says Drug Prices Fell '700%', but Experts Call It Impossible

United States President Donald Trump has claimed that drug prices have dropped by '500%, 600%, 700% and more' under a policy he says he personally triggered, calling the development the 'biggest and most important event ever' in American healthcare.

Posting on his Truth Social account, Trump declared himself the 'Affordability President' and urged Republicans to 'talk loudly and proudly' about the alleged reductions ahead of the next midterm election cycle.

However, health economists and policy analysts say the dramatic percentages cited by Trump are not supported by any available data and are, in fact, mathematically impossible.

Trump's Claim on Drug Price Reductions

In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump said drug prices in the United States were falling at unprecedented levels due to his decision to invoke the Favoured Nations policy during his presidency.

The policy aimed to align drug prices in the United States with those in countries where medications cost significantly less. Trump insisted that 'no other President has been able to do this', adding that his actions paved the way for cheaper and better healthcare nationwide.

He suggested the supposed price collapse should serve as a major political advantage for Republicans in the upcoming midterms.

'If this story is properly told, we should win the Midterm Elections in record numbers,' Trump wrote.

He positioned the alleged reductions as a central legacy of his administration, describing them as a revolution in the nation's medical landscape.

Experts Reject the Percentages as Impossible

Despite Trump's bold claims, analysts say the figures he quoted do not align with any recognised economic or healthcare data.

Economists point out that a price reduction of 500% or 700% cannot occur in reality, as a cost cannot fall below zero. A price cut exceeding 100% would imply that pharmaceutical companies are paying consumers to obtain medications, a scenario that does not exist in standard market systems.

Health policy researchers also note that similar claims made by Trump in previous years have been flagged as inaccurate or mathematically unsound by fact-checking organisations.

While there have been targeted decreases for specific drugs under recent federal negotiation programmes, analysts stress that none have approached the magnitude Trump described.

Experts say the cited figures reflect a misuse of percentages rather than genuine price movements.

What Official Data Shows

Government and independent reports present a more nuanced picture of prescription drug pricing in the United States.

Under Medicare negotiation programmes, some high-cost medications have seen price cuts of up to about 85% for certain beneficiaries. However, these reductions apply to isolated cases and to a limited number of drugs selected for federal negotiation.

At the same time, congressional reviews indicate that prices for hundreds of prescription medications have risen in recent years, affecting multiple therapeutic categories, including treatments for chronic conditions.

These findings contradict Trump's description of a sweeping, nationwide reduction in costs and suggest instead that drug price trends remain uneven across the market.

Why the Maths Does Not Work

Analysts emphasise that the central problem lies in Trump's use of percentages. A supposed price cut of '500%' or '700%' is mathematically impossible because a reduction exceeding 100% would surpass the entire original value of the product.

A 100% reduction means eliminating the cost entirely, while any further reduction would produce a negative price, a concept that has no basis in conventional pricing models.

Economists believe Trump's claims appear to be rhetorical exaggerations rather than reflections of verified data, particularly given the absence of any supporting documentation from his team.

Political Reaction and Broader Context

Republican allies have echoed Trump's broader focus on reducing drug prices but have largely stopped short of repeating the specific percentages.

Democratic officials and health policy experts have used the statements to renew concerns about misinformation in public healthcare discussions, citing clear discrepancies between Trump's claims and independently verified data.

Fact-checking organisations and major media outlets have also examined the remarks, noting that Trump has provided no concrete evidence to substantiate the figures.

Analysts say continued scrutiny is likely as healthcare affordability remains a central issue in the United States' political debate heading into the next election cycle.