Donald Trump says he has never taken the ‘fat drug’ Ozempic, but this White House official has… | World News
The US president told The New York Times he has not used popular weight-loss drugs, adding that he “probably should.”President Donald Trump has publicly joked about friends and staff using what he calls “the fat drug.” But until now, he had never addressed whether he himself had taken the new class of obesity medications that have reshaped America’s weight-loss conversation.In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Trump said plainly that he had never taken GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic or Wegovy. “No, I have not,” he said when asked directly. “I probably should.”
Why this matters
Weight-loss drugs have become both a cultural flashpoint and a political issue in the US, tied to debates over healthcare costs, insurance coverage and government intervention. Trump’s personal disclosure lands at the intersection of all three, especially as his administration pushes policies aimed at lowering drug prices.
The background
Trump’s weight has long been a subject of public interest. In 2020, during his first term, he weighed 244 pounds, a figure considered obese for his 6-foot-3 frame. At his most recent physical in April 2025, the White House physician reported his weight as 224 pounds, placing him in the “overweight” category based on US health guidelines.The weight loss came without any public acknowledgment of medical intervention, adding to curiosity around whether the president had joined the growing list of Americans using GLP-1 drugs.
The policy angle
The disclosure comes months after the Trump administration announced a deal aimed at sharply reducing the cost of popular prescription drugs, including obesity treatments, potentially bringing some prices down to around $149 a month.While promoting the deal at an Oval Office event, Trump publicly quizzed senior aides about whether they were using the drugs, turning the moment into a mix of policy pitch and personal banter.
What Trump said
During that event, Trump asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick whether he was taking the medication. “Not yet,” Lutnick replied, prompting Trump to respond approvingly: “OK, good.”He then mentioned CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, saying he was not taking it either, before jokingly pointing out that White House communications director Steven Cheung was. Cheung did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The bigger picture
Trump’s remarks underline how mainstream weight-loss drugs have become in US political life, shifting from private medical decisions to public conversation. By acknowledging that he has not taken them, while adding that he “probably should,” Trump positioned himself as both an observer and a potential consumer, reflecting how deeply these medications have entered America’s health and political discourse.
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