Trump Tells House Republicans to Emphasize Medicine Deals
President Donald Trump, in a lengthy pep-talk to House Republicans about how to win the midterms, said that his threats of tariffs caused drug companies to lower prices in the U.S., as European countries agreed to pay more for the same medicines.
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"We reduced the cost of medicine at levels that have never even been dreamt of before. We should win the elections on just that thing if we did nothing else and went home," he said.
He told a story purportedly describing a conversation he had with French President Emmanuel Macron about the policy, where he told Macron to increase the amount the French government would pay for medicines.
"Emmanuel goes, 'No, no, no, we will not do that.' 'Yes, you will, Emmanuel, 100%,'" Trump said, and added that other European presidents also said they wouldn't. "The answer is 'no, we're not going to double our drug prices, not for you or anybody else.' I said, 'Yes, you are 100%.' 'We are not going to do it.' 'No, no, no, you don't listen. 100% you're going to do it, and you're going to like it.' They go, 'I don't understand. I've told you 5 times, why do you keep saying you're going to do it?'"
"OK, here's the story, Emmanuel. If, on Monday, you haven't agreed to every single thing that we want, I'm putting a 25% tariff on everything coming out of France. Including your wines, your champagnes, and everything else."
He said Macron said he couldn't do that. "I said I can do that, and I will do that, even for national security. I'll do that, but this is for medical security."
He said all the foreign leaders ended up caving, to make him happy, and so he didn't charge the tariffs.
As he has done repeatedly on social media, Trump talked about the case challenging the International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs at the Supreme Court. "We have a big Supreme Court case. I hope they do what's good for our country. I hope they do the right thing," he said. "The president has to be able to wheel and deal with tariffs. Now, if you have the right president, it's good. You have the wrong president, you know, if you have the wrong president, nothing's good. Tariffs are the least of your problems."