Donald Trump says 'equalizing' is best way to describe lowering drug prices

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Donald Trump revealed the “best word” to describe his efforts to lower drug prices for Americans is “equalizing.”

The U.S. President signed an executive order last week asking prescription drug manufacturers to significantly reduce the cost of medications within 30 days.

He explained the plan to save Americans from paying outrageous drug fees to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 12.

“Basically, what we’re doing is equalizing,” Trump said. “There’s a new word that I came up with, which is probably the best word. We’re gonna equalize, where we’re all gonna pay the same. We’re gonna pay what Europe’s gonna pay.”

According to Merriam-Webster, the first known use of the term was in 1599.

Trump said if the deadline wasn’t met that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., would formulate new regulations to lower drug prices in line with what the rest of the world pays.

“It’s called most-favoured nation,” Trump continued. “We’re going to pay the lowest price there is in the world. Whoever is paying the lowest price, that’s the price we’re going to get.”

This is not the first time Trump has evoked the term equalize. The President mentioned it once during his address to a joint session of Congress on March 5.

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“(Joe) Biden has authorized more money in this fight than Europe has spent by billions and billions of dollars,” Trump said, referring to the money given to Ukraine in its war with Russia.

“It’s hard to believe that they wouldn’t have stopped it and said at some point, ‘Come on, let’s equalize. You got to be equal to us.’ But that didn’t happen.”