During a press conference Tuesday, President Donald Trump joined Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla to announce a vague, “voluntary” pricing agreement with Pfizer.
And, of course, they couldn’t stop themselves from making a joke about COVID-19.
“God bless you, Bobby. I hope I didn’t catch COVID just there,” Trump said after Kennedy sneezed behind him.
Trump then turned to Bourla and said, “Don’t you have Paxlovid? He’s got Paxlovid. Give me a Paxlovid immediately.”
If an anti-vaxxer sneezes, do Big Pharma drugs suddenly work?
After promising to cut drug prices by more than 1,500% (see: math), Trump unveiled new tariffs that could potentially double the cost of drugs for Americans.
Basically, Trump’s new “voluntary” pricing agreement boils down to Pfizer lowering prices on select drugs in exchange for a three-year exemption from Trump’s tariffs.