Fox News Host Challenges Trump's Drug-Price Claim on Air

President Donald Trump repeated a claim that prescription drug prices have fallen by 400%, 500% and even 600% during a primetime address, a figure critics say is not mathematically possible. The remarks prompted an on-air reality check on Fox News when host John Roberts pressed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the claim during an appearance on America Reports.

Roberts challenged the math, saying, "If you cut something by 100%, the cost goes down to zero." Lutnick offered a rough example, noting, "What he's saying is if a drug was $100 and you bring it down to $13, it's down seven times." Roberts pressed back, "It's not 600%." Lutnick argued that the way percentages are framed can alter perceptions, but Roberts pressed him to acknowledge the implausibility of a 600% reduction.

Trump has been promoting such figures for months. In July, he vowed to force pharmaceutical companies to drop drug prices by as much as 1,500% and framed the target as achievable, a claim critics say ignores the realities of drug pricing and the economics of the industry. The broader policy debate over how to lower costs for consumers remains unsettled, with experts noting that reductions of that magnitude would require fundamental shifts in pricing, negotiation, and market dynamics.

Observers say the exchange on Fox News illustrates how statements about drug pricing have become a political flashpoint, with supporters praising tough talk on pricing and critics warning that the numbers do not align with current policy tools or market constraints. The episode adds to a string of high-profile moments in which Trump has faced fact-checking during or after public remarks on health care and prescription costs.