Trump roasts ‘fatter than ever’ Ozempic friend desperate to stay anonymous

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump is once again spinning his now-familiar tale about a mystery billionaire friend who apparently had a not-so-miraculous run-in with Ozempic.

According to Trump, the mysterious ultra-wealthy associate has gone from anonymous to “quite famous” and is now “begging” the president to keep his identity under wraps.

“A rich friend of mine happened to be on Ozempic, it was not working, by the way. The guy was extremely successful but highly neurotic, got a lot of problems. I will not mention his name; he is begging me not to mention his name because he has become quite famous,” Trump quipped while signing an executive order to relax restrictions on psychedelic substances.

Trump has notably been using the anecdote as part of a critique of drug pricing in the United States and to question the effectiveness of popular GLP-1 medications like Ozempic.

Trump Ozempic story sparks drug price debate

The president painted his friend’s experience as a cautionary tale. According to Trump, the unnamed billionaire once complained about shelling out $1,300 in the US for the same “fat shot” that would cost just $87–$88 in London.

Back in January, during a Capitol Hill health care discussion, Trump offered a more detailed version of the story.

“A friend of mine who is a very smart guy, very, very rich, very powerful man actually but he's very fat and he took the fat... I call it the fat drug. I won’t give you which one. It was Ozempic… I won’t tell you that,” he said.

“After I told him that the drug does not work on him because I saw him recently and he’s actually fatter than ever," Trump quipped. "I said, 'The drug is not working on you, you’re going to have to go to something else but it does work on a lot of people.'"

The friend didn’t exactly appreciate the honesty. “Thanks, you make me feel good,” the man allegedly replied. Trump apparently told him, “Well, I gotta be truthful.”

The story has since resurfaced in speeches, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks. Each time, Trump insists on keeping the name private.

In a May 2025 interview with Sean Hannity aboard Air Force One, Trump revealed that the friend in question reached out after hearing himself become part of the narrative.

“I'm just glad I didn't use his name,” Trump said. “He called, he said, 'That was interesting.' He said he was very concerned that I might use his name... He doesn't have to worry.”

Trump drug pricing deals with Big Pharma

The president recently secured agreements with 16 major pharmaceutical companies aimed at bringing US prescription drug prices closer to what patients pay in other developed countries. In exchange, the companies will receive three-year exemptions from tariffs on drug imports.

As part of the arrangement, drugmakers have agreed to adopt “most-favoured-nation” pricing. The system is designed to ensure Americans aren’t paying more than patients abroad for the same medications.

The companies have also committed to selling drugs directly to consumers through a new government-backed platform, TrumpRx.gov, while pledging billions in investment within the United States.

The deals follow a series of letters Trump sent in July to the leaders of 17 large pharmaceutical firms, pressing them to align US prices for new drugs with the lowest rates offered in other developed nations. Sixteen of those companies have since publicly announced agreements with the government.