White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Thursday that President Trump had sent 17 letters to pharmaceutical CEOs, demanding lower drug prices and warning that he would “deploy every tool” at his disposal to enforce reductions.
Leavitt read aloud from Trump’s letter to Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks, in which the president vowed to end “global freeloading.” Trump also referenced an executive order he signed in the spring, tackling the issue of pharmaceutical prices.
“This unacceptable burden on American families ends with my administration,” the letter continued.