US President Donald Trump said he forced Emmanuel Macron to agree to higher drug prices in France by threatening tariffs, claiming the move would lower medicine costs in the United States.
US
President Donald Trump on Tuesday told Republican lawmakers that he pressured French President Emmanuel Macron to sharply raise prescription drug prices in France, using the threat of sweeping tariffs on French imports as leverage.
Trump said the move was aimed at addressing what he described as Americans paying far higher prices for medicines than consumers in other countries.
Addressing the gathering, Trump said the United States had subsidised global healthcare for decades. He argued that his “Most Favoured Nation” policy was designed to end that imbalance and claimed it led to swift compliance from foreign governments.
Ultimatum over tariffs
Trump said he asked Macron to increase French prescription drug prices because Americans were paying “14 times” more for medicines. According to Trump, the French President initially refused the proposal.
“I said ok here’s the story, Emmanuel. If on Monday you have’t agreed to every single thing that we want, I’m putting a 25% tariff on every thing coming out of France!”
He claimed he issued an ultimatum, warning that France would face a 25 per cent tariff on all exports to the United States, including champagne and wine, if it did not agree to US demands. Trump said the threat led Macron to concede.
“He said, ‘no, no, no, no, you can not do that!’ I said, I can do that. And I will do that. Even for national security I’ll do that but, this is for medical security.”
Trump’s imitation of Macron
Recounting the exchange, Trump said Macron told him, “Donalddd, you have a deal. I would like to increase my prescription drug prices by 200 per cent or whatever. Whatever you want, Donald, please don’t tell the population, I beg you.”
“Every country said the same thing,” Trump added.
Trump humiliating Macron. It’s important to remember that this clownish behavior doesn’t diminish Macron, it reflects on the crass, classless nature of the Mafia boss in White House. pic.twitter.com/RX9A0cNWex
— Sreemoy Talukdar (@sreemoytalukdar) January 6, 2026
Price changes cited by Trump
Trump claimed the tariff he threatened was “42 times more expensive” than what he was asking for. He said France raised drug prices from $10 per pill to $30, while prices in the United States fell.
Neither Macron nor the French government has immediately responded to Trump’s remarks.
Trump also said that in talks with other countries, foreign leaders agreed to increase their drug prices within an average of “3.2 minutes” after tariff threats were made.
“We would be honoured to quadruple our drug prices, if that’s what you like,”
Trump said, describing what he claimed were conversations with other global leaders.
Most Favoured Nation policy push
The remarks came as Trump continues to advance his Most Favoured Nation policy, which seeks to reduce US prescription drug prices by linking Medicare payments to the lowest prices charged by drugmakers in other developed nations.
Trump said he had negotiated significant price reductions under the policy, claiming cuts of “400, 500, and even 600 per cent”. He also announced that reduced prices would be available from January through a new website, TrumpRx.gov.
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