Former President Donald Trump warned drugmakers in a private meeting that tariffs are coming and urged them to relocate overseas manufacturing to the U.S., according to sources familiar with the discussion.
He also declined to commit to weakening a drug pricing program enacted under President Joe Biden, despite industry efforts to seek relief.
Trump’s stance signals that the pharmaceutical industry may struggle to secure White House support.
Despite his pro-business reputation, he had a tense relationship with drugmakers in his first term, once accusing them of “getting away with murder” on drug pricing.
Trump met Thursday at the White House with top pharmaceutical executives, including Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks, Merck CEO Robert Davis, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, and industry lobbyist Stephen Ubl.
The executives sought his support for rolling back a law allowing federal drug price negotiations and for policies targeting middlemen blamed for rising out-of-pocket costs.
Executives urged Trump to support equalizing the duration of drug exclusions from the price negotiation program.
Trump however declined to commit, citing concerns that changes to drug pricing policy could complicate Republican efforts to pass tax reforms, according to sources familiar with the meeting.
On Friday, Trump repeated his first-term complaints that the U.S. overpays for prescription drugs compared to other countries.
From the White House, he said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Medicare nominee Mehmet Oz are working to lower drug prices.
“I hope you focus really a lot on the cost too, because Americans have been screwed, and it’s no good, not going to put up with it,” Trump said to Kennedy.
Trump noted that Americans pay more for the same prescription drugs than people in London but did not specify particular medications.
