On Tuesday, May 13, the cohosts of The View discussed Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at lowering the cost of certain prescription weight-loss drugs. The conversation was sparked by his remarks during a press conference, which the hosts reviewed as part of their “Hot Topic” segment.
During the press conference, Trump shared a story about a businessman friend, describing him as a “highly neurotic, brilliant” but “seriously overweight” individual. Trump said the man called him from London, complaining about the high cost of the weight-loss drug he was using. Trump explained that the man had paid $88 for the drug in London, but $1,300 for the same medication in New York.
Whoopi Goldberg criticized the lack of specificity in Trump’s plan and argued, “If you’re going to lower the price of the drugs, you’ve got to first fix the broken insurance companies.”
Joy Behar shifted focus to a broader issue: the price of medication in the U.S. “You have to take money out of politics too,” she said, pointing out the influence of pharmaceutical lobbyists in Congress. She also took a jab at Trump’s remarks, adding, “The guy has 153 rooms in the White House. He can’t have one mirror to look into?” Behar was referring to Trump’s habit of criticizing people’s appearances, calling one of his friends “highly neurotic” in the same breath.
The audience laughed, and Alyssa Farah Griffin brought the conversation back to the original topic. She compared Trump’s proposal to a grocery store price-matching offer, saying, “It’s like when you go to the grocery store and they say, ‘We’ll match the lowest price somewhere else.'”
Goldberg also pointed out that when Democrats proposed lowering prescription drug costs, Republicans criticized it as “socialism.” She countered, saying, “It’s not socialism. It’s best for the country if everyone can afford their health care.”
Sara Haines emphasized that the government should act as a “central negotiator” for prescription prices, especially when compared to prices in other countries.
However, Behar suggested that Trump’s executive order might be a distraction from another issue. “This is just to distract from the fact that he’s getting this $400 million plane from Qatar,” she said, implying that Trump was using the drug price issue to divert attention from other controversies.
