WASHINGTON (AP) — President Trump stood by his mathematically questionable assertions about prescription drug savings during a White House announcement Thursday, defending statements that medication costs have been slashed by more than 500%.
At an Oval Office event unveiling an agreement with pharmaceutical company Regeneron to reduce drug costs, Trump addressed his previous statements claiming prescription price reductions of “500%, 600%.” He acknowledged making such claims but also mentioned citing “50%, 60%” reductions, describing these as representing a “different kind of calculation” that could reach “70, 80 and 90%.”
“People understand that better,” Trump stated. “But they’re two ways of calculating” and “either way, it doesn’t make any difference.”
However, mathematical experts point out that while there may be different calculation methods, only one approach follows correct mathematical principles. Price reductions cannot mathematically exceed 100% without dropping to zero and then requiring companies to pay customers to use their products.
The president’s unconventional mathematics extended beyond drug pricing during Thursday’s event. He defended his earlier prediction that the Iran conflict would last four to six weeks, arguing he met that timeline because Iran’s military was “decimated” within that period, despite the war continuing past 7½ weeks.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted to explain Trump’s calculation method during the same event, referencing his previous day’s congressional hearing exchange with Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Warren had suggested that claiming price cuts above 100% might mean “companies should be paying you to take their drugs.”
Kennedy told reporters that Trump “has a different way of calculating” during the hearing.
On Thursday, Kennedy offered his interpretation, suggesting that when drug manufacturers increase prices by more than 100%, Trump calculates his reductions based on those inflated costs. “If the drug was $100, and it raised the price to $600, that would be a 600% rise,” Kennedy explained. “And the president used that mathematical device.”
Mathematical principles, however, don’t support such a “device” for the way Trump describes it. While products can increase by more than 100% – a $1 item rising to $2.10 represents a 110% increase – reductions cannot exceed 100% without reaching zero cost and entering negative pricing territory.
During the media session following the drug pricing announcement, Trump also revisited his 2017 inauguration attendance figures while discussing Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovations. He compared his crowd to Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech audience, claiming “I had the same exact crowd. Maybe a little bit more.”
“I actually had more people,” Trump added. “But that’s OK.”
The U.S. and Iran established a ceasefire this month, which Trump announced he was extending this week. Neither country has declared the conflict concluded, contradicting Trump’s assertion that his original timeline prediction was accurate.
