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Donald Trump has signed four executive orders designed to cut drug prices, as he mocked “wealthy people” and “suspected allies” whom he accused of profiting from inflated drug costs.
“A lot of rich people … it won’t be that rich,” the president said during an event on Friday afternoon.
He said some company executives and “intermediaries” would not be “as happy with me” after the directives went into effect.
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Trump has long said that drug makers are taking advantage of Americans who need prescription drugs, especially older Americans. At the beginning of the event, he said that the four orders were specially designed to help older people.
In particular, it has lost the support of older voters. That bloc now says they would prefer former Vice President Joe Biden to assume the presidency in January. For once, Trump spoke publicly without mentioning Biden by name, but he did shoot the Obama administration, of which his enemy in the general election was a prominent member.
He accused the Obama administration of doing nothing to lower drug prices.
But private companies and the Obama team were not the only ones Trump blamed for the high cost of drugs.
“They call them allies. I call them so-called allies, “he said of some of America’s partners around the world.
The president said he was signing the orders because Congress had not responded to his request for legislation on the matter.
“We are putting patients above lobbyists, senior citizens before special interests, and we are putting the United States first,” Trump said before signing the documents with a large black marker.
He vaguely said he will soon be launching “bills” on immigration and health care. But he has mentioned several times in recent days that executive action is planned on those controversial issues.
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